Foxes, a Sword and a Promise (So, its a Challenge?)
by Tobmaster
Summary: In a world where anything can happen, a young ninja in training finds an object of unusual value which starts him on his way down the path to become Hokage. Standing in his way are many trials and experiments gone wrong, and the one to help him find his way is the person he'd never thought was capable. Find out how a few chance events can change lives... A Naru/Hina Story.
1. Chapter 1

I would like to start by thanking the person who came up with the ideas for the challenges I was referring to in the description Chewie Cookies... I didn't stick hard to the parameters you set out, but I'm sure you'll forgive me when you see what I have in store... This story is slightly different than my usual as there is clearly a person narrating it...

* * *

**So, Its a Challenge**

* * *

Ah… once again we face the story of epically diverse possibilities; the Story of Naruto. Never in my many years of overseeing the vast intricacies of multiple realities, pasts, and futures has there been so many diverging story lines. Worlds where our protagonist is male, female and even some of both. There are just so many of these independent worlds which could be looked upon by my all seeing eye. Of course, seeing isn't all that I do; I can even participate if I so desire…

Like all the worlds that suddenly appear in my realm, all one has to do is ask 'What if?' and another world is born. Now this story was one of the more interesting ones I've been able to look upon. This particular existence sprung up when some strange creature going by the name 'Chewie Cookies' posed a list of interesting scenarios to be entertained for the Story of Naruto to play out. Now this list of scenarios alone created multiple worlds in my realm, each with differing ideas, but what caught my eye was this one particular world which sprung up later than the rest.

'What's so interesting about this one world?' You may ask… Well; I guess you will just have to sit back and enjoy my recounting of the events which led to the arrival of a new Hokage….

* * *

"Saaakuraaa-chaaaaan!" A pink haired girl cringed at the horrible and pitchy sound of the most annoying boy in the academy; Uzumaki Naruto, calling out to her. He was running energetically towards her, making her wince again, fully knowing the topic he would bring up next. Of course you may have guessed that this pink haired girl was Haruno Sakura.

It was always like this every morning for the small girl. She'd get dressed, and then think about Sasuke. She'd brush her teeth, and then think about Sasuke. She'd walk out the door, and then think about Sasuke. She'd walk down the street, and then get annoyed by Naruto. She wanted to know just what in the hell it was going to take to go just one whole day and not have to think, see, hear, or otherwise be aware of the tiny existence of that 'orange clad fool,' as she would sometimes refer to him.

"Sakura-chan, wait up!" He shouted again, despite the girl obviously ignoring him and hurrying her pace to get away from him. Unfortunately she wasn't nearly as fast as that overly energetic boy and was quickly caught up to just outside of the academy.

"Hey Sakura-chan… Say would you like to go out after school? I just found this way cool place I want to show you." He shouted energetically, using all his gestures and arm waves as he could to describe this new place he supposedly found. He couldn't think of anything better than spending at least a few minutes with his crush, but the thought of maybe an hour with her, sent his mind in top gear.

"Naruto!" She growled at him, making him seemingly shrink in front of her. Despite all his daydreams, this would always be the outcome for him. She cocked back her fist, ready to release her rage when suddenly a thought hit her with a mischievous grin. Her fist stopped just inches from his face, which was fully tensed from the expecting impact.

"You know…" She started with a smirk on her face. She knew Naruto wasn't very bright and there was this rumor going around that he had this strange ability to keep promises he made, no matter what. While remembering this possibility, her intelligent plan was put into action. His face returned to normal as he heard the light tone in her voice, causing him to look up with a hopeful smile.

"I'll think about going out with you if…" Naruto's eyes lit up and a large grin came across his face; he had finally gotten through to her, what a day!

"If?" He asked with a glint in his eye, hopeful for what she would ask in return, but there was nothing he wouldn't do for a date with her.

"…if you promise to never ask me out on a date again."

"Deal, I promise!" He shouted out eagerly without even thinking about what he promised; nothing would keep him from her. For a brief moment he thought that he heard a deep reverberating laughter after his promise was made, but there wasn't anyone around except for Sakura, so he shrugged it off.

"Are you going to keep that promise?" She asked in a cutesy way, earning a response of a very cheerful series of nods.

"OK… I thought about it and it's still no." She flipped her long hair triumphantly and walked away from the boy who looked like a fish out of water as he sat in disbelief at what had just transpired. Wasn't this the day he finally got through to her?

"B-but what about the…" He was going to ask about the date, but it seemed like the last word didn't come out despite his effort, but it was enough for her to stop to respond.

"I only told you that I'd **_think_** about it… not that I would actually do it. You should really pay attention to the details before you make a promise… Now don't go breaking it." She reveled in the crushed look upon his face and swaggered off without another thought of him. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of a dark haired boy trying to sneak into the academy from the roof tops.

"Sasuke-kun!" She shouted in a cheer and took off after him, leaving Naruto to think about what just happened; completely dejected.

"Why couldn't I say date?" He shook his head and took off running into the academy building, making it right on time for the bell.

He managed to steal a seat right behind Sakura so he could watch her every move; not noticing the girl with the heavy blush who was seated right next to him. Her round face glittered with enjoyment at being able to sit next to the boy she always admired from afar. She had taken a liking to the energetic boy since the day he helped her with a few bullies a couple years prior but couldn't really do much for him as her shy attitude would make her self-conscious and she'd space out or stutter. She never really knew why she felt drawn to him, but she just knew that the sunny disposition despite his troubles were something she knew was missing within herself; that girl was of course Hyuuga Hinata.

She started fiddling with her fingers when she thought that she saw him glance over at her, even though that was just a her imagination; and with him, she had quite the imagination. She mustered up all her strength in deciding whether or not she could manage to say something to him or if she'd just chicken out. Once she had the courage to declare to herself that she would say something to him, she then had to figure out what to say as to not look like a fool to him. After much internal deliberation, she decided that just a simple 'good morning' would be easy enough that even she couldn't mess it up. Now that it was decided, she made her move.

"G-g…" Suddenly a loud ringing erupted, interrupting her greeting.

"Alright class!" Iruka shouted. "Time for lunch."

Hinata gasped and held her hand to her lips. Had she really managed to fight with herself all the way to lunch time? The class started filing out of the room and she hung her head and sighed when she saw the fleeting orange colored streak follow that horrible pink hue out of the class room. Apparently even that simple 'good morning' was still too difficult for a girl like her to manage.

* * *

Sakura headed out to lunch like usual, surveying the grassy area for the person she always chased, like always. You would have thought that one would get tired of the constant battle just to he recognized by someone, but there she was… same old, same old. Just as she spotted the 'high and mighty' Uchiha, she cringed, because just as her desires were in a rut, so was Naruto's. She saw that ball of orange headed in her direction just in her peripheral. Within seconds, he was next to her with that usual grin on his face. At times like this, she wondered how it was that he could move so quickly.

"Hey Sakura-chan, would you…" His voice suddenly cut out while still trying to mouth the words which refused to come out for some strange reason. He grabbed his throat, trying to figure out what was going on and where his voice went. He silently cursed the world… this was the second time he couldn't finish asking her out.

"Would I what?" She asked in annoyance, silently enjoying whatever strange force was shutting up the boy.

"Would…" Again his voice cut out.

"Would I like to have lunch with Sasuke-kun? Well, why didn't you say so earlier?" She happily skipped off, leaving Naruto speechless while she hunted down the one she wanted to spend time with.

"Damn, now I know something is wrong…" He muttered while wondering if it had something to do with that promise of his. He thought back to other promises he made in his life, but couldn't make any connection since he always thought his promises were made to be kept, but for the first time in his life, he didn't want to keep this one.

He let out a sigh after thinking too hard. His only enjoyment for the day was gone and it wasn't like he really had a lunch to eat anyways; his longing for Sakura was all he ever consumed during lunch period, and without being able to talk to her like he was used to depressed him even more than he thought was possible. He sighed again and walked away from the academy grounds and out into the surrounding forest.

His form disappeared into the trees leaving only one person aware of his absence since her pale eyes watched his fleeting stride. She wanted to go talk to him, to give him the reassurance she would receive just by being near him, but after the loss of time earlier in the morning, she decided against it.

Maybe tomorrow… She thought to herself and slipped back into the academy.

* * *

Naruto didn't know just how long he had been walking; he just knew that right now nothing really mattered in his life anymore and kept shuffling along, not paying attention to his surroundings. He held back the tears of disappointment he felt welling inside him and looked to the sky. The leaves swayed on their branches lazily on the breeze, almost taunting him with how carefree they were.

"I promise that someday soon my life will turn around and I will be truly happy." He called out just for the sake of his own declaration. Just after he made that promise, he tripped over an uncovered tree root and stumbled head over heels down the nearby hill. He tumbled and rolled, branches and undergrowth striking against his body, scratching and tearing at his clothes and flesh. Finally after what seemed like hours of rolling, he splashed down into a shallow stream at the base of the long and steep hill.

"REALLY!?" He demanded from the world. He had just made the declaration of a better life, only to be treated unjustly by the world, landing him in his current situation. Had it been anyone else, it wouldn't have ended like that, or so he thought. He stood up, water dripping from his orange jumpsuit, and traipsed through the stream, water sloshing around his feet. The opposing bank of the stream was lined with thick trees and he had to crawl up a steep embankment just to reach a flat area to rest. After casting off his wet jumpsuit, he threw himself against the closest tree in a huff, only to feel something jab him painfully in the back. HE groaned at his lack of luck again.

"Watch where you're sitting!" Shouted an aged voice from behind him. He quickly jumped to his feet and looked around from some old geezer as the source of the voice, but saw no one.

"You can hear me?" The voice asked with an air of astonishment. "Boy, down here!" Naruto looked at the base of the tree and saw something sticking out from the tree trunk. It almost looked like the hilt of a sword, having no guard, and with a dingy blue 'ito' wrapping. The pommel was shaped like that of a tiger's face and held a ring in its mouth with a small rusty chain hanging from it.

"Yeah, it's me!" Spoke the tiger on the hilt excitedly.

"Whhooaa! What are you?" Naruto asked, amazed that a bronze tiger head was talking to him.

"A talking sword, dimwit." The blonde cocked his head; it was definitely something unusual to experience.

"That's strange… How did you learn to talk Dimwit?" He asked, mistaking his comment earlier for his name.

"No you're the dimwit! I used to go by a different name, but you can call me… Shape-Shifter, yeah, that will work." The tiger would have sighed or rolled its eyes had it not been bronze… As luck would have it, the he managed to find a moron to wield him.

"Oh, so Dimwit wasn't your name… That makes sense." Naruto laughed, not realizing just how stupid he was looking.

"Ok Shape-Shifter; would you like to be my sword, then we can show everyone how awesome I am?"

"Boy, if you get me out of this century's old tree, I'll make you the happiest man alive." Naruto's eyes brightened for the first time in hours.

"Really? You can do that?" He suddenly had visions of Sakura dancing in his head and knew he had to have this sword. He reached down, grasping the hilt and struggled against the resistance. He had to admit that this sword was really stuck. He grunted and panted, he even braced his feet against the trunk of the tree for better leverage, but the sword didn't even budge.

"Don't worry Shape-Shifter; I promise I'll get you out of there." The moment he made the promise, he felt a strange chakra flowing to his arm and with such little effort, the sword slid from the tree. Naruto fell to his backside when he found out the sword really wasn't a sword, but more like a tanto at only 7 inches long. The absence of length was what surprised him and threw him off balance so suddenly.

"You're not a sword 'SS'" He shouted after the pain left his posterior. He was disappointed in his new findings. He had hoped for something cool like he saw a few ninja carrying around in the village, but instead he got something that wasn't a sword and couldn't be thrown easily like a kunai, making it nearly useless in his mind. Suddenly the sword groaned and gained size at an immense rate, stopping at a length much taller than the blonde in the shape of a Zanbatō, an anti-cavalry weapon.

"Whoa." He gasped for the second time in a few minutes. The large sword then shrank back down into something resembling a large kunai and let out an energetic yawn.

"Man, it has been some time since I've been able to change shapes like that… it felt good."

"Sweet, so you can change shapes?" Naruto asked, getting more excited by the minute.

"Uh, yeah… My name is Shape-Shifter after all…. I am undefeatable!" He reminded with a wonder if the boy was ever going to be intelligent enough to use him properly.

"Oh, that makes sense, my name is Naruto." The sword sighed… did it have to be a dimwit. Naruto picked up the small bladed weapon and inspected it. It also seemed that the hilt itself changed to match the blade, yet retained, in some semblance of order, the tiger head and chain.

"So can you change into anything?"

"Anything your mind can think up."

"Cool." Naruto thought really hard and he then felt the blade change shape. The hilt turned cylindrical in shape and had no blade, making the blonde elated in his new toy. He looked at the object in his hand and pressed the small button on it. A shaft of orange light struck out from the hilt and stopped at a length of about a meter. He smiled and swung the light blade through the air, enjoying the slightly electrical whooshing sound it made as it sliced through the air.

"This is sweet!" He jumped into the air and sliced his new sword at a nearby tree. The light passed effortlessly through the trunk of the tree as he grinned even wider. He stared at the tree for a while until his grin faded away.

"Hey, it didn't even cut anything!"

"Well yeah." Laughed the tiger. "You can't cut anything with a beam of light from such a small power source. We still have to abide by the laws of physics here."

"Oh, so just because I can imagine it, doesn't mean it will work the way I intended." Now he was starting to wonder if the sword was going to be worth anything at all.

"Correct boy… It seems you may not be as dimwitted as I initially thought… though not by much." He started laughing while morphing into another weapon which Naruto was unfamiliar with; it was a kusarigama, a small scythe connecting to a weight at the end of a long chain. The tiger's head was at the weighted end, holding to the chain with it mouth like previously, revealing the purpose of having the chain from the start. After seeing this dramatic change, thoughts of how to use his new weapon flooded his mind, causing the wide grin to return to his lips.

"OK, well let's get you back to my village; this is going to be great!" Naruto shouted while wrapping the chain around his shoulder and gripping the scythe in his hand. He took off in a giddy streak, headed straight for the academy.

"One more thing, Naruto… My form changes from time to time, so don't be surprised when I suddenly change forms… it may be advisable to keep me hidden; and don't expect me to turn into anything stupid."

"Nothing stupid… got it. But what if you turn into something huge and I can't hide you?"

"Well, you'll have to figure that one out when it happens." Chuckled the sword.

"Thanks… I wish it was 'if' it happens." He mumbled under his breath. He gathered up his clothing and headed back since it was getting late.

Naruto quickly moved through the forest and grinned once more when he saw the academy appear. With his new weapon, he was sure to get much stronger and show Sasuke who was boss. He smiled to himself and spaced out, imaging himself kicking Sasuke's ass and having Sakura begging for a date all because of this one mystical sword he found. His day dream was shattered quickly when he heard his name being shouted from the Academy door.

"Oh crap… Iruka-sensei!" He quickly tried to stuff the kusarigama away under his shirt, but sure enough, his luck was terrible and it decided to take that moment to change into a staff with a sharp blade at the end; a naginata. The spear like weapon pierced through his shirt and Naruto sighed in defeat and plainly held the weapon in front of him when he decided to greet his teacher.

"Hey Iruka-sensei… fancy meeting you here." He laughed out nervously. He knew there was no way to talk himself out of this one and just had to say something in an attempt to do so, no matter how weak it was going to be.

"Naruto!" He shouted loudly from a foot in front of him, the shockwave of his elevated voice causing his spiky blonde hair to wave in the magnitude of his yell. Iruka grabbed the weapon from him and took hold of his white collar and started to drag him back to class.

"You will explain why you are wet and where you got this naginata after school… In detention!" Naruto groaned. Detention was where he spent many hours of his after school life and like his luck always steered him, he'd be spending most of the daylight hours there and not trying to figure out how to use his new weapon.

The blonde delinquent mumbled curses about 'teachers' and other colorful things as he ascended the stairs and flopped down into the empty seat next to Hinata. He looked at the girl, nervously tapping her fingers together. He watched as her eyes darted in every different direction other than towards him, making her look quite strange and borderline retarded. At first he thought that the shy girl was kind of cute, but as time progressed, there was really only one word he could use to describe her.

"Weird." He muttered to himself before looking away from her and actually taking in at least a sentence, or two, from his teacher.

Before long, the blonde fell asleep with his head lying on the surface in front of him. Once the piercing ring of the after school bell rang, Naruto made a quick dash towards the door, hoping to be able to sneak out before being caught. He cursed when he felt a firm grip grab his collar and stop his movement and knew he was done for…. He just had to be dressed in all orange, making him an easy target to catch while exiting.

"I get it… detention." He sighed and headed for the disciplinary room, following the one permanent student who was always reprimanded for being late to everything… Shikamaru.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata sputtered out with a smile, knowing that she actually manage to make a sound, then realized the classroom was completely empty; she had dazed off again; she was even dazed through the closing bell. She resigned herself to her fate and shuffled herself disappointingly out of the academy with a sullen look for missing another perfect opportunity.

* * *

"Alright Naruto, where did you get this naginata?" Iruka demanded, causing the blonde to smile; for once that day his luck was taking a turn for the better.

"What naginata, I don't see anything but a paperweight." He offered, trying to keep a straight face. Iruka looked down and sputtered at the place which he was sure he placed the naginata. With Naruto being in class from the point he confiscated it until now, he knew he wasn't able to steal it back. He just decided to shake his head and forget it ever happened. He picked up the gaudy tiger shaped paperweight and threw it into the trash can.

"Now sit down! You still skipped out on half of the afternoon lesson… I think two hours should do it."

"But Iruka-sensei…" He whined in protest.

Naruto groaned in disappointment and sat in his usual seat and put his head down. After about 30 minutes, Shikamaru stood up without a word and slipped out of the room, knowing that his usual punishment was complete, leaving Naruto to be on his own in the empty room. He groaned again when he started having troubles focusing on his usual daydreams, especially when the tiger head kept calling out to him to be free from the trash can, illustrating that only Naruto could hear him.

Suddenly his blonde head popped up when someone dressed in a cloak and wore a strange mask, a member of the Anbu Black Ops, came in and said something to Iruka, turning his expression to a worrisome one and took off out of the room with the Anbu. Naruto was about to dash for the trashcan to save his sword when Iruka stepped back in.

"You're not done yet… Your new teacher, Anbu-sensei, will be taking over your observation." His animalistic grin faded and he knew there was no getting 'Shape-Shifter' at that point. Naruto settled back into his seat and placed his head back onto the desk. After about a minute, he felt a sharp jolt to the back of his neck and felt his consciousness fade.

* * *

Naruto felt his consciousness come back to him, yet he wasn't really awakening. He could feel cold steel wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and even his neck. Recalling the times he was caught and beaten in the past, he was scared to figure out what the outcome of something so calculated as to take him from academy..

"Danzo; I have finished your research… Now how about that funding for my new hidden village?" Asked a creepy sounding voice. Naruto couldn't open his eyes to put a face to the voice, but by the sound of things, he may not want to.

"I'll give you half now and the other half after you finish off the Sandaime; Orochimaru."

"Ku, ku, ku… excellent." He giggled, which caused Naruto's skin to crawl.

"Now, if this is correct… All we have to do to control the kyuubi is to rid it of its memories and give it a body." Spoke the voice of the man who was referred to as Danzo.

"That is quite true. I tested the theory on the last Ichibi and after some modifications when that failed; a new jutsu is ready for use. I have prepared the necessary sacrifice for it, shall we proceed?"

"Oh yes, please do." Danzo replied, giddy at the outcome of many years' worth of expenses and experiments. Orochimaru threw down a young ninja he was carrying and Danzo was a little upset that the sannin had chosen his personal project, Sai, as the sacrifice, but decided the outcome of this project would far outweigh the possibilities of his pupil.

Orochimaru licked his lips and started the hand seals for his jutsu. Sai's body floated into the air, pulling an eerie black blob of something up from his chest. The blob then launched itself at Naruto, seeping into his pores, mouth and other openings; all the while shrieks of pain rang out. The young boy's eyes suddenly snapped open and he saw the bandaged face of Danzo with the 'X' mark scar on his chin while he struggled against his restraints in pain. His eyes flashed red for a moment before his eyelids shut and he fell back against the table in an unconscious state.

"There, that should do it." Orochimaru stated confidently while looking at this handiwork. He stood to leave when a massive wave of chakra blasted through their lab, shattering all the glass containers in the room.

"Uh, oh." Orochimaru faltered and could only prepare himself for something epic. It was a little too late for regrets now.

Naruto's hands turned to that of claws and his brow furrowed evilly as he pushed and pulled against the restraints again. Red chakra started flowing out of him pooling across the floor like a thick fog rolling in while he lay at the center. His metallic restraints started creaking in protest to the extreme forces while he started to growl.

"Orochimaru, do something!" Danzo shouted and he started to fiddle with the locks on his arm. Knowing it takes a while to unlock his personal weapon, he was hoping for a little distraction.

"I… I think I did enough." Orochimaru gulped while backing away from the jinchuriki, looking for an escape route. Another blast of chakra emitted from Naruto, making the air heavy and difficult to breathe in. From Naruto's back started sprouting a chakra tail which quickly multiplied into six, followed by a deafening roar which shook the mountain lying above the hideout they were located in. A loud snap was heard, echoing through the lab, resulting from the reinforced restraints breaking from metal fatigue.

"Fuck." Orochimaru cursed when the beast disappeared from sheer speed alone and reappeared next to Danzo, grabbing his still half locked arm. The guttural growl coming from the… **_thing's_** fanged lips, made even his sadistic and twisted stomach churn. Soon after, a sickening pop was heard as Danzo's arm was ripped from his body, followed by a shrill howling.

"NOOOOOOO!" He screamed while he started getting beat into a pile of flesh by his very own arm. Danzo's body lay silent and motionless on the ground in a pool of sticky red blood. The red cloaked beast seemed to grin satisfyingly before tossed the dismembered arm to the side and locked sight with Orochimaru. The snake sannin just closed his eyes, not even feeling the life flee from his body since his death happened so quickly. His last thought happened to be of making a mental note that the kyuubi was not an entity to be trifled with and that his body looked very different from the ground looking up. His headless body soon slumped to the ground, signifying the end of the sannin's experiments.

The crazed beast howled in triumph and started smashing through the various doors, vials, and equipment in the sprawling hideout. He smashed through various cell doors and killed all manner of creepy creatures and nameless beasts held within. One seemingly harmless ninja saw the tantrum and quickly ran to a console which resulted in the opening of two stone doors housing their most dangerous inhabitants. Two beings emerged, from each cell. One with Spiky orange hair and the other with long gray hair… Kimimaro and Jugo. Each stood before the fully enraged demon, and attacked, knowing their lives were on the line now.

Kimimaro reached behind himself and pulled out his spinal spear while Jugo turned to his final transformed state. The kitsune demon cocked its head in interest before thrusting a fist forward. He wasn't even within range of the two for a punch, until a red chakra fist exploded outward, striking Jugo squarely in the chest. Kimimaro took the chance to lunge forward, sticking the spear through the heart of the demonic beast, yet it seemed to be uninterested in the wound and more trained on Jugo, who was holding back the chakra fist.

The bone master saw his opportunity and repeatedly struck the beast's body with many different sharp bones and spears, finally making the monster take note of him… which wasn't a good thing for him. A clawed hand gripped Kimimaro's throat and another was placed atop his clavicle (neck/shoulder bone). The pale skinned man was ensnared and could only shout in pain as his head was beginning to be separated from his own body. He summoned a few more sharp spires from his body, lodging them into Naruto's arms and wrists as a last ditch effort, which only resulted in his expedited death. Just like with the spinal spear, the beast withdrew another from the man, except this one was his actual spine and not a creation.

Jugo came charging in much too late to save his companion, and soon found the remains of Kimimaro stabbing into his cursed body. His last moment of life was of a fanged smile and blonde hair stained in the blood of his comrade, licking his bloodied lips in hunger of the pain he was showering down. The beast's clawed hand flattened out and he effortlessly parted Jugo's head from the rest of his body. With another booming snarl, the body was flung behind him, smashing the ninja who released the two against the wall in a messy splatter.

Naruto mindlessly smashed through the main door of the hideout and fled into the cool, fresh air of the forest. The demon's breathing soon became raspy and shallow as it finally made it outside of the complex and took note of the large wounds inflicted in his escape. It hurriedly took off running in a random direction while tripping over its own feet, stumbling carelessly through the forest, scratching and tearing at anything nearby. It finally made it into an opening where it fell with a loud thud and a waning growl escaping its lips. He fell limp on the forest floor with a fleeting whimper, his blood starting to spill out onto the soil below.

The sudden beastly sound startled a young girl, who was out enjoying the stars in the forest behind her clan's estate. She was frightened at the eerie sound and instinctively activated her byakugan. She gasped when she saw a creature who seemed to be half beast and half human. It had sharp fangs and claws but its hind legs looked more like that of a human. She was just about to run in fear until the red chakra faded, leaving her a glimpse of blonde hair and a blood splattered orange jumpsuit. She gasped in recognition of the bright color and off of that alone, she overcame her fear of the beast and ran towards the strange creature.

The only thought she had was not of worry for her own safety, but that of the person she realized it was. She froze when she saw the body lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Her tears started dripping onto the soil below when she confirmed that it was Naruto and he was seemingly stuck in some strange animal transformation. She had seen Kiba experiment with a more feral transformation, so it wasn't all that uncommon of a sight, except his change was held even after the loss of consciousness.

She sharply inhaled a gulp of air when she noticed the massive amounts of blood still leaking from his wounds at a dangerous rate. Without a moment's thought, she took off her jacket and pulled out a kunai, quickly shredding her clothing into thin strips. She pulled out a small container of medicine from the remnants of her pocket and treated the strips with the ointment before she started in on doing her best to wrap the large wounds to stem the bleeding.

She finally wrapped the last one around his raw, nearly mangled wrists and let out a breath of air she was holding. She saw his eyelids start to move and started to get flustered until his eyes popped open, displaying a deep crimson color instead of his usually sparkling blue, which startled her. She went to move away until a clawed hand rested on her shoulder to prevent her from leaving.

"N… Na… Naruto-kun… Wha… what's wrong?" She stuttered quietly. She silently cursed to herself for finally being able to be alone with him and not able to keep herself from being nervous to the point of her speech being impaired. Naruto didn't answer and just looked at her with his demonic eyes, almost like he was peering into her soul. She was sitting there, now only in a t shirt, which was a bit too big and she started feeling self-conscious under the strange look she was getting. She stayed frozen as the strange form of Naruto moved closer and seemed to start sniffing her.

"N… Naruto-kun?" She stammered out, hoping for recognition so she could get rid of the fear he was starting to instill in her. His clawed hand slid down to her arm, dragging the collar of her shirt with it, exposing the soft pale skin of her neck and shoulder, followed by a satisfied grin. Before she could figure out what was going on, she felt a sharp pain and saw his fangs buried into the fleshy part of her neck. She whimpered while tears started to flow down her cheeks at the pain and the fact that he just wasn't himself and was hurting her. She did her best to not let out a scream, for fear of what would happen to him since she was so close to her clan's estate and attempted to bear with the pain.

He soon pulled back from her neck and licked the wound gently, causing her to look at him incredulously. She didn't know what he was doing or why. The feeling of his wet tongue now caressing her skin caused the pain to slowly ebb away and bring on a strange tingling feeling in its place. The weight from his arm on her caused her to fall over in her dazed state and her mind started to race as she saw Naruto feral smile lean down and rest his head on her shoulder, gently licking at the slowly leaking wound. When she finally took in the situation, she realized that he wasn't trying to hurt her at all and then realized that Naruto was licking a very sensitive part of her neck, and it felt strangely good. Her face flooded with color when she realized what he was doing was exciting her and she lost consciousness quickly thereafter.

* * *

I will be uploading more in the very near future.

Hope you've enjoyed it so far, and I didn't lose you along the way. Let me know how you like it so far...

...Later


	2. Chapter 2

Hope I didn't lose any of you... If you haven't read the challenges posted on Chewie Cookies' profile, be sure to look them up, you will see the many paramaters I was trying to stay in... an no, I did not chose just one of his challenges...

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

In an undisclosed location, a long haired blonde woman stepped into a gambling establishment, her brown eyes sparkling in the lights overhead when she felt the addictive rush hit her. She gripped the large suitcase at her side firmly; the last millions of her massive loan nestled inside.

"Bring me sake!" She shouted loudly enough to bring all attention in the establishment to her. The owners looked to her and grinned wildly.

"You heard the suck… er… I mean woman; bring sake!" He shouted. A few people rushed out from the back, bringing the requested booze while she settled into the game play. The dealer held up the two dice in his hand to show that they were legal before tossing them into a cup and placing it on the floor.

"Chō!" She shouted while throwing down her bet; nearly half of what she brought. The dealer waited for all the bets to be placed before pulling up the cup.

"Han." The dealer shouted after reading the dice.

"Figures." The woman grumbled when a wind suddenly picked up, bursting open the windows and managing to tip one of the dice over. The dealer looked down with a panicked face

"C… Chō!" He corrected giving the woman a winning hand. She smiled and took a sip of her alcohol, looking down at the next turn of the game.

"Han!" She called out. The dealer revealed the two dice, one with a single dot showing and the other with four.

"H-han wins it." Tsunade's liquored up smile drooped while her attendant, Shizune was giddy.

'What is this change?' She thought to herself. The woman with extraordinarily bad luck; rumored to lose every game except for maybe 1 out of every 100; the legendary sucker had just won two in a row. She took another sip of her sake before tossing the rest of her now unsavory drink on the ground and suddenly stood.

"Shizune, we're leaving." She announced angrily.

"But Tsunade-sama, we're finally winning." She protested, hoping to be able to finally pay off the debt collectors.

"This isn't winning…" She turned from the game before shouting out one last time. "Han!" The dealer lifted the cup and gasped when it came up with odd numbers once more.

"With luck like this, I believe we shall be having some company in the future." She told her attendant while stepping out of the gambling facility with a frown.

* * *

"Hinata-sama!" Shouted a voice from 50 meters away from the Hyuuga estate. The night was pitch black with only a tiny sliver of the moon was left hanging overhead trying desperately to light what it could in the night. "Hinata-sama!"

The small girl started to stir and realized there was a heavy pressure on top of her. She opened her eyes and gasped when she noticed the feral Naruto sleeping on her with a smile on his face. He had one of his elongated fangs hanging out past his bottom lip making her giggle at just how much like a humanized house cat he looked.

"Hinata-sama!" the voice called out again.

She sighed and pulled herself out from underneath his sleeping form and stood up. When she moved to walk away, she heard a small whining and saw red eyes looking at her longingly.

"I have to go Naruto-kun. I can't be seen here with you like this. I'll go figure out what happened to you and be back tomorrow. OK?" She was taken aback at just how clearly she spoke to him; not even a hint of a stutter was on her lips this time around. She smiled at the realization and wondered if that bite had something to do with it. She reached to her shoulder and was surprised when she couldn't feel any remnants of the wound; it was completely healed. She turned back to Naruto, who was now standing next to her on wobbly legs, trying to follow her.

"No." She stated in a stern voice and pointed at the ground. Naruto whined again before lying on the ground and tucked his head into his arms. "I'll be back tomorrow... I'm sorry" She whispered before running off with a giggle when she had a brief thought about a pet Naruto.

"Ko-san." She clearly called to the Hyuuga man looking for her. She appeared next to the panting man who looked relieved to see her.

"Hinata-sama, what are you doing out here in those clothes?" He asked, after seeing her shoulder was exposed through the neck of her shirt. He looked away from her, not wanting to taint her dignity.

"I was watching the stars before bed." She told him clearly, surprising him at the confidence in her voice. Before he had a chance to question her again, she was happily skipping along towards the estate.

She happily slipped into her room and crawled into the bed, and smiled while covering herself with her blanket. A seemingly heavy weight lifted from her body and she fell asleep much easier than any day previous… She had been with Naruto and actually said something to him…

* * *

Hinata woke up a little after 1am with a sudden smirk on her face. She didn't know where this sneaky side of her came from, but didn't really care when it came to helping Naruto. She activated her byakugan and stealthily made her way around the small patrols throughout the estate and paused outside of her father's study. She was sure no one was near and slowly eked the door open and slipped inside with barely a sound. She hurriedly searched every part of the office looking for the research she knew was there.

A few years back she stumbled upon a misplaced scrap of paper dealing with his secret research on demons, aka youkai, and other fantastical creatures. She just thought it was just something for a story since he did dabble in writing, but now she had a hunch that it was all real and possibly involved the attack of the Kyuubi, on October 10th and just maybe it had an influence on the boy who was born that very night. Putting all that together with her new found clarity of mind, she decided to seek out that information again.

Finally she found what she was looking for in a hollowed out book on one of the many shelves gracing the study. She pulled out a few small scrolls hidden in the tome and opened them, glancing at the contents. She then gasped at one line where it confirmed how direct the connection actually was between the Yondaime Hokage, the Kyuubi, and Naruto. She wiped away a tear in her eye when she realized that Naruto's family was indeed gone, but he'd be very proud to know who they were.

She quickly rolled up that scroll and opened another that had details on a theory about merging a bijou with its container, creating an artificial Hanyou. After reading a portion of it, she made the realization of just what happened to Naruto, he was going through a hanyou transformation. She then saw the script stating that the theory was penned by the Sandaime Hokage. With that knowledge, she rolled up that scroll and grabbed the two others she didn't read with the two that she did and tucked them away in a pocket before sliding the book back on the shelf, hoping that her father wouldn't look at them before she was able to sneak them back into the book.

She slid back out the door of the study and sneaked back into her room without ever being noticed. She let out a satisfied sigh when she felt the warm blanket cover her skin. While lying in bed for about an hour, unable to get to sleep, Hinata realized that her insomnia was caused by the fact that Naruto needed her and she felt that she needed to assist him, especially in his time of need. She flung the blanket off of her and quickly dressed in her usual attire. She slid open the window and without a sound jumped out into the night. Quickly moving through the streets as fast as her 12 year old body could take her, she arrived at the Hokage's residence where the Hokage lived and worked from. She took a deep breath for confidence and headed through the gate, soon to be surprised by all the ninja activity at that late hour.

She dodged the busily fleeting ninja and eventually made it to the hub of activity, the Hokage's office. The door was wide open for the numerous ninja to enter and leave freely while he called out frantic orders. She heard something about intruders and loss of life of a few prominent members of the village before the Hokage noticed her presence and silenced everyone.

"Hinata-san, you don't belong here." He informed her with a fatherly smile, which had undertones of a more scolding nature.

"I know." She stated with a bow, but continue onward. "I need… actually Naruto-kun needs your help." His eyebrows raised at the mention of the blonde prankster and motioned her to come closer and sit. She stepped in front of him and knelt up on the wooden floor with a calm and serious look upon her face.

"You said that Naruto needs help. What has happened, I haven't been able to find him, even when I look for him with my 'all seeing' jutsu."

"I believe it is this." She told him while handing one of the small scrolls to him. He nodded and pulled open the scroll. Once he laid eyes on the contents, he nearly had to lift his jaw from the ground. The scroll was a copy of one that he kept in the safe with other forbidden jutsu and shouldn't have been possible for her to have a copy of it.

"Hinata, did you read this scroll?" He asked, worried for what may leak out, knowing the Hyuuga were a fearful bunch.

"I did." She replied, not glancing away from the noble man.

"Do you have any idea as to what is detailed here?" He asked while shaking the small scroll at her.

"I do… That is why Naruto needs your help. I think someone attempted to make him a hanyou by forcing him to fuse with the kyuubi." The Sandaime jumped to his feet and ran to the office door. He looked out into the hall for any ninja within hearing range before slamming the door shut.

"Don't go saying stuff like that so freely." He scolded her, knowing full well the gravity of the law he set into place; the one that promised a most serious conclusion for bringing up that hidden fact. "Now what makes you think that this happened to Naruto?"

"Because… because I know where he is." She saw the Hokage's tired eyes widen at her revelation. "He isn't acting the same, and looks different." She continued with a downcast look.

"How is he different?"

"He acts like a wild animal, I guess he's similar to a tamed fox… he even…" She then trailed off at the end while rubbing her neck. Seeing this, the Sandaime sighed and silently cursed his old student for perfecting the combination technique.

"This could become a big problem for you Hinata." The old man informed, knowing the details on how the demon world works from his previous studies on the subject.

"How?" She wondered; aside from all the sneaking around she did, there wasn't anything that happened that would be seen as a big deal.

"He bit you didn't he?" She slowly nodded, scared of what might be cast upon her.

"Am… am I going to die?" This question actually made him chuckle.

"No, you're not going to die, but for a young girl like you; it could be worse than that." She gasped as thoughts flowed through her mind of things that could be worse than dying, like torture or being in a coma..

"What's… what's going to happen to me?" She shakily asked, hoping the events she imagined weren't one of the outcomes.

"You were marked… And if Naruto really has become a hanyou. That means you have been deemed his mate, for life." Hinata let out a long breath out of relief.

"Don't scare me like that Hokage-sama…" She stated with a clear and reassured voice. "I'd actually look forward to that… being his… um…" She only made it that far until she hit the limit of her new found confidence and her cheeks flooded with a dark red before she could say it.

"I see…" He smiled and headed towards the door. "Let's go see what we can do for him then." Hinata smiled and nodded before jumping to her feet and followed him out of the office.

* * *

The sun was barely rising at the early hour that they arrived at the outskirts of the village by the forest. Although the sun was starting to brighten up the land, the forest still looked like a dark and scary place with the shadows being cast upon the darkened ground and thorny brush waiting to scratch you at a moment's notice.

Without even an ounce of apprehension at the foreboding sight, Hinata led the way into the creepy forest with the Hokage following behind her. They soon reached the clearing just as the sun was powerful enough to cast a few shafts of light through the canopy of leaves swaying overhead. Hinata ran ahead, unconsciously wanting to return to Naruto's side. Seconds after her sprint started, she was tackled by an inhuman beast like creature, followed by a loud squeal of surprise and joy from the tackled girl. The Hokage made a sudden move towards them out of fear for her safety and was quickly stopped by a wave of chakra flowing out from the growling beast.

"Naruto-kun, he's ok, he won't hurt us." She urged while touching his face, coaxing him to calm down. He smiled like he understood and then started nibbling on her soft neck again, making her giggle from the ticklish action.

"Ahem…" The Hokage coughed, noting that the two preteens were getting a little too frisky. Hinata squeaked when she realized how it looked and embarrassingly pulled herself out from under the feral boy.

"Sorry." She muttered shyly.

"Never mind…" He replied while looking over the strange form of Naruto. "Interesting… It does appear that the seal is 98% gone… I would expect 100%... but after all, this is the first human made hanyou." He nodded to himself while he quietly pondered a few details involving the severity of the wounds and how they weren't healing at the same rate as they would previously with the boy's body.

"If you are ok with it, I will have an apartment near to the Hyuuga estate, and this forest, cleared for him to recuperate in and leave him in your care. You are to tell no one about what has happened; not a soul." He stood to walk away, to carry out his order when Hinata grabbed his sleeve. He looked back and saw Hinata's flushed face. When she saw his inquisitive stare, she looked at the ground to hide her blush.

"C… can I tell Kurenai-sensei?" She asked, still hiding her face.

"For what reason?" He inquired. Hinata continued looking away while she felt protective arms grab her from behind and Naruto's warm breath caressing her neck.

"I need… Advice from a _woman_." She barely whispered. The old Hokage's eye brows rose up when he realized the true meaning of her inquiry.

"F… Fine, but only her." He relented, not wanting to get into the middle of her accelerated womanly feelings. She smiled happily before turning around to meet the gaze of the feral boy.

"Naruto-kun… stay here." She ordered clearly, and then took off in a run, hoping to get over the strange feelings she was currently having.

"Don't worry Naruto, we'll have you a place to rest in no time." The Sandaime assured with a warm smile. He watched the boy curl up on the forest floor, wincing in pain from the wounds, and then falling asleep with his head tucked in his arms. He nodded again and quickly headed back toward his office.

* * *

Kurenai was awakened from her much needed slumber by a loud pounding at her door. She sighed and dragged herself from the warm confines of her bed and threw on a simple white bath robe before opening the door.

"It's too early Asuma!" She shouted, expecting to see the bearded jonin, only to find Hinata standing on her step. She hid her blush and coughed like it wasn't actually a sentence that she uttered and just the girl's imagination.

"Hinata, what brings you here?"

"I have a problem Kurenai-sensei." She stated clearly before dashing around her and into the house without waiting for an invitation. She had been at her little house on more than one occasion, so it kind of did feel like home. Kurenai noted the change in her demeanor and the sudden lack of her usually impeccable manners.

"Your speech has improved greatly." She commented out loud while shutting the door behind the girl. "So what is your problem?"

"I feel hot, but not like I need fan but something inside but I'm not sick, yet it feels like I am... It just doesn't feel right." She finished in a frustrated huff, almost bringing herself to tears. Kurenai was starting to get confused with her train of thinking and add that to the confident speech… She really did stumble onto something unusual.

"Ok, let's start at the beginning, when did all this start?"

"I found Naruto he was hurt, I helped him, he's now a hanyou with the kyuubi, he's cute, he bit me, I'm his mate, he was licking my neck, I felt weird and I can't think straight, and my body feels like it was going to explode when he was breathing on me…" She then took a deep breath after rambling on so quickly.

"Help me I don't know what's happening!" Kurenai could see the frustration on the girls face and took a minute to gather her thoughts.

"So did all this start after he bit you, with the weird feelings, the speech and all?" She asked while pondering the ideas in her head

"Yes." Hinata whispered with her head down. The jonin woman smile and reached out to touch Hinata's face.

"Raise your head Hinata, there is nothing for you to be ashamed of." The girl's pale lavender eyes looked into her mother figure's red eyes with the hint of tears forming in them.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked. Kurenai chuckled when she tried to figure out how to explain her conclusion of the dire situation

"If everything you told me is true, then that bite may have affected you on a more… animalistic level. I would guess that your hormones have been heightened due to the bite, so you are taking a rushed path towards puberty. The best comparison I can give that you could understand is that you're in heat."

"Huh?" Hinata's face was completely blank and pale; that wasn't exactly the answer she was expecting. She thought maybe a strange sickness caused by intimate actions or something like that, but not being viewed like an animal.

"You need a more blunt answer? You want to have sex." Kurenai reaffirmed.

"b..but" She sputtered with a brilliant red hue now covering her cheeks.

"Yep, thought so…" She laughed. "You have some of that hanyou DNA in your system and it has done you more good than you know."

"Well, be that as it may… how do I avoid it… I'm much too young to partake in that."

"True; I'll teach you some **_exercises_** to combat your desires but at some point you're going to need to get that itch scratched; if you know what I mean."

"By itch do you mean?"

"Yes Hinata, you'll need to get screwed and probably often." Hinata's face heated up again at the thought and she hid her face in her hands. Upon entertaining the thought, she decided it really wasn't that bad of an action and knew there was only one thing she needed before allowing that to happen, she need to get his humanity back. There was just no imagining doing something like that without him knowing exactly what was going on.

"So what are these exercises? He's not well enough for anything… strenuous."

"Ha, ha… Well usually I'd send you to see Anko, but you are still too early for anything that extreme… So… there's this thing you can do with your fingers…" Hinata's eyes went wide, cheeks red, and nearly passed out at what was being revealed to her so casually.

* * *

After the rather embarrassing and informative meeting with Kurenai, Hinata headed out into the village with a growling stomach. Strangely though, she wasn't craving anything sweet like her usual fare, but something savory. This was yet another thing that was out of the ordinary for her since the bite. She instinctively turned a corner and found herself standing outside of a ramen stand, sniffing at the air. Strangely it seemed as though the place was open for breakfast which was very unusual for a stand of that nature. She shrugged it off since her stomach was demanding sustenance and stepped into the ramen stand.

"Good morning!" The old man greeted. When he turned around he was surprised to see a shorthaired girl, instead of a brightly dressed boy, standing with the same greedy look of hunger as he would see on his usual morning customer.

"Well, what'll it be?" He asked, seeing as how she wasn't making a move towards any of the seats.

"Um…" Her stomach then growled loudly, asking for her to expedite the order.

"Ha, ha… I know that sound…" He walked to the back without another word, leaving her to sit upon a stool at the counter. Teuchi quickly returned with one of his 'specials' and set it out in front of her. She inhaled the scent and started salivating and dug into the meal with a ferocity surprising even herself. After the bowl was consumed she pondered a moment. A loud growl erupted from her stomach yet again, enforcing her initial thought.

"Um… I'll take four more." She requested shyly, not wanting to realize just how much food she was requesting.

"Whoa, big eater… You should really meet my best customer Naruto." She blushed when he mentioned the name.

"So this must be Ichiraku's… I've heard him talk about it so much, just never put the name and place together." She explained happy to have found the one place that Naruto actually felt welcome at.

"So you know him? Well, I'll give you the special price today then."

* * *

After gorging herself on ramen, Hinata decided to skip class for the day and head back to the Hokage tower to see if it was time to get Naruto situated. She hated the fact that she went for ramen without him, but her hunger couldn't be ignored, and in her defense, she did offer up an apology to him once she was full.

"Oh yes, Hinata." The Sandaime greeted when he saw the girl enter the office and motioned for her to enter. "I've gotten you a month off from academy to nurse him back to health, and don't worry, your father won't be informed; but only for a month. Any longer and I'm sure people will take notice."

"Really?" She asked with her eyes lit up happily. "Thank you Hokage-sama."

"Now here are the keys, it is right next to the entrance to the forest so there should be next to no one there, making it safe to bring him there anytime. And as a bonus it is close to your home, but don't get too carried away being that close. You still have to go home to divert any suspicions." He tossed her the keys and went back to doing his Hokage duties, leaving her with silence, urging her to leave.

* * *

Hinata ran happily back through the village not knowing when the last time was that she felt that good about herself. It was almost like the stars were finally aligning in her favor, helping her along the life she always desired. In some way, shape or form, she had the guy she liked and that confidence which washed over her was almost euphoric. She blindly ran through the forest and was once again tackled to the ground by the blonde hanyou, who immediately started nuzzling her neck.

"Naruto-kun…" She whined, leaning her neck to the side, allowing him free access to the whole of her neck and shoulder. After a moment letting him nuzzle, nibble and lick her supple skin, she noticed his wounds had bled through her make shift bandages and would need to be changed. Reluctantly she attempted to push him off of her.

"Come on Naruto-kun." She pleaded when he refused to let her up. She pushed even harder and he let out a disappointed whine and slowly removed himself from her.

"I hope you stay like this when you get you mind back." She mentioned under her breath. He looked up at her with a quizzical look, making her giggle.

"Come on, let's go home." She started heading for the building and he followed her, half walking as a biped while another half he walked like an awkward four legged animal.

She unlocked the door to the small apartment and peered inside. It was just an efficiency apartment but it was, in a way, their first apartment together. She felt Naruto push his way around her and made his way inside. Hinata followed him in and shut the door behind them. She looked towards the bed in the corner and saw a large stack of bandages laid out on the nightstand.

"Naruto-kun." She called out and pointed at the bed. He stood up and sat on the edge of the bed right where she was pointing. She smiled gently to ease his worries and started unwrapping the bandages, cringing as each wrapping revealed one deep, gruesome wound after another. She carefully re-bandaged his wounds, neatly wrapping his body, making him appear almost like a mummy in completely white bandages. She looked him over and realized he looked mostly normal, well normal it you got rid of the huge fangs, claws and scary red eyes. She found herself staring at him a little too long and jumped up to head to the kitchen.

Looking in the refrigerator she was glad to see that it was stocked with many different meats and other proteins required to heal his wounds. Immediately she took out some large steaks and set to cook them. It had really only been a few hours since her ramen binge, yet she was feeling hungry again, it was quite a strange and new feeling for her. After the short preparation, she sat down with her animalistic friend for a quiet lunch.

"I think I should try and teach you a few words so we can start to talk." She giggled when he looked at her strangely, with a large steak hanging from his mouth, not really understanding what she was saying to him.

* * *

For the next month it was much of the same for Hinata, gorging on ramen in the morning, checking the bandages and devouring steaks for lunch and consuming large amounts of various other meats for dinner. Upon her return home she'd disappear into her room, usually with a stash of sweet rolls to take the edge off of her ever increasing hunger before the evening Hyuuga meal.

Hinata was on her way back from her favorite sweets shop with her latest score, stuffing her tiny face with an almost head sized dessert pastry before even making it to the Hyuuga manor. She poked the last portion of the first roll into her puffed out cheek as she stepped into the Hyuuga estate, bumping into her father who was waiting for her.

"Good evening Father." She greeted calmly, despite speaking around her full mouth and moved to pass him but was easily blocked by his larger body.

"Hinata; I've been hearing reports about your un-lady like binge eating." She finished chewing her treat and swallowed the last of it before speaking again.

"Your point? I'm not a child." She forcefully pushed by him and squeaked in response when he poked her now chubby midsection with his finger, surprising him at just how plump she had gotten.

"You're overweight… I trust you will rectify this?"

"When my body says it is hungry, I eat. I trust my body's voice over the arbitrary thoughts of others… Now if you will excuse me…" She bypassed him and headed straight to her room, leaving him to wonder what had gotten into her.

Hinata entered her room and cast aside her clothes to look at herself in her tall mirror to get a second opinion. Turning left, then right, she suddenly started laughing while grabbing the excess fat apparent all over her body. Her father was completely correct, she had gained a lot of weight in the past month; over 20 pounds now insulated her tiny body giving her the appearance like that of a female Akamichi. Luckily for her, the jacket she always wore was baggy enough to hide most of her new features, aside from her chubby cheeks. She sighed, took another bite of yet another roll and got dressed again before sneaking out to get her fix of seeing the blonde hanyou.

* * *

She pushed open the door and smiled the moment she laid eyes on the blonde looking back at her. He smiled back after recognizing her and waited for her to shut the door. Once the click was heard he jumped from the bed.

"Hinata!" He charged at her until she held the bag, with one last sweet roll in it, in front of her body stopping him before he tackled her.

"Mine!" He shouted and took the bag, retreating back to his bed, devouring the contents in seconds.

"How are you feeling Naruto-kun?" She asked, happy to see him so energetic this late in the day.

"Naruto miss my Hinata." He replied before jumping on her and pinning her to the ground. "Mine." He growled quietly and nipped at her neck.

"Ahh… ohh.. Umm… NO!" She screeched and pushed him off her. He had a frown after she refused him and retreated back to his bed.

"I'm sorry, you just can't have me like that until we're older; you know that. Now let me check your bandages." She unwrapped the white cloth bandages and was soon surprised to see his wounds suddenly were gone, just the day before, they were still quite deep, but they were now completely healed. Apparently his healing ability was now augmented by his demonic blood. She ran her hand across his perfectly healed chest and almost lost herself before blushing and looking away.

"Do you remember anything else?" She finally asked, after getting control of herself.

* * *

Naruto had started remembering tiny details of life before becoming a hanyou about a week ago. To say Hinata was happy the day she opened the door and heard her name was an understatement. Since that time his vocabulary grew to the point that he could make understandable sentences but was nowhere near his old self. He had no recollection of ninja details, history, or anything aside from her name and a few words, all else was still completely gone.

* * *

"No… just what's mine." He replied, referring to his claim of ownership of the Hyuuga girl. She saw him start rubbing his eyes with a tired look on his face. He then gave out a yawn and stretched out on the bed.

"Hinata sleep?" She blushed a little before nodding and curled up next to him on the bed. Her eyes widened when he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. He almost instantly fell asleep when he snuggled against her. Hinata almost started to fall asleep as well until she heard a grumble next to her. She turned and saw Naruto's lips moving like he was talking in his sleep. Activating her byakugan She started to read his lips carefully but could only make out three words: Tiger, Garbage, and Academy. She didn't know what it had to do with anything but just hearing the word 'academy' brought a light to her eyes; he had recalled something unconsciously about his past.

She moved carefully as to not wake the sleeping hanyou next to her and made her escape. She slipped out the door and down the street to her bedroom window. In a single leap, she landed inside her room and started to remove her jacked when the light flipped on, illuminating Hiashi. HE was sitting in the shadow of her lamp with a strange look on his face.

"Hinata…" He started, while rolling a couple scrolls ominously in his hands. She gasped when she realized that those scrolls were the ones she stole from her father's study and forgot to put back.

"Father… I …" He held up a hand to silence her so he could speak.

"I'm not here to scold you or reprimand you. As long as you never speak of anything you read, then there will be no consequences to your actions…"

"Father?" She didn't understand why we wasn't pissed about what she did, but then thought that if he did, he would be breaking the law against saying anything about the incident 12 years prior. She had hoped that this break he had given her was the start of something better until she felt an opening for those three letters she hated to hear from him

"…But…" Yep, those were the letters she hated.

"I will have you battle your sister once more for the title of heir."

"I'll pass…" She stated quickly, surprising her father at her decision. So many times in the past she had wanted to better herself for the clan and for herself and would agree to every match offered to her no matter how tired she was, but this time she felt different, she was different. She didn't need the approval of her clan, she was finally happy with who she was.

"You'll pass?"

"Yes, Hanabi can be heir, I don't want it. Now if you will excuse me, I need to sleep before academy tomorrow." She ignored his incredulous look and started to strip down for bed, forcing her father to quickly vacate the room so he wouldn't witness his daughter's more intimate form; a technique used for eons to force a father's conversation to end with a daughter.

* * *

**end of chapter 2**

* * *

This was actually quite the fun story as it panned out and if you haven't realized it all quite yet... I tried to accomplish all four challenges posed on Chewie Cookies' profile... and I also made a special note to never do that again... Four challenges in one is too much, maybe three, but definitely not four...

Review it and let me know how crazy I was to attempt 4 challenges with one story.

Until next time...

...Later


	3. Chapter 3

Welcome back for the third chapter in this good sized publishing... So far it has been well received and I am glad you all are enjoying reading it. For those that are familiar with my work, you may be wondering what is in store with the M rating, but don't expect me to go completely overboard like I did in my earlier works... I just don't feel _that_ naughty anymore... Next on my list is that I really need to have a better title for this story,but my creativity is spent, so if you guys want to make a suggestion, feel free, otherwise it will stay as is.

Well that's enough from me...

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

The following morning, Hinata ran through the village; well, after her morning meal at Ichiraku's, to the academy. It had finally reached the end of her free month reign and she had to return, but this time she had something important to look into; the information about a tiger and the garbage. Usually the incoherent mumblings of someone in a deep sleep would be nothing to take serious, but there was something that hit her deep inside that told her that there was much more to those words than just a memory, it felt more like a dire request.

Once stepping into the academy she activated her byakugan and was quite disappointed to see all the trash cans were empty; it was going to be more difficult than that and she knew it, since it had been a month already; she had just hoped that the janitorial staff were sick for the month.

Class was about to begin, so she deactivated her doujutsu and headed towards class like was usual in the months prior. Somehow it felt different this time, though, almost like she was more out of place than usual. It felt similar to stepping back into her elementary classroom after moving on to the academy.

"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata sighed when she heard the usual bickering of Sakura and Ino. Somehow after the last month of being on her own, in a way, these interactions seemed a bit childish. She ran up and took her usual seat, waiting for a chance to figure out where the garbage goes and the other meanings of the words which were spoken.

"Sasuke-kun… aren't you glad that idiot isn't around to bother you anymore?" Sakura asked while twirling her hair with her finger, doing her best to flirt with the stoic boy.

"Hn…"

"You're so right, Sasuke-kun!" She shrieked, making up her own conversation with him in her mind. Hinata couldn't believe the stupidity of the fan girls and couldn't wait to graduate so she could leave those morons behind.

"Ok class, take your seats!" Iruka announced while walking through the door, indicating the start of the school day.

* * *

Once class was called off for lunch, the class headed out with most of the girls shouting something about Sasuke and giggling in pursuit of the boy.

"Childish…" She unconsciously muttered to herself. Once they had all left, Hinata made her way to the front of the classroom where Iruka was at his desk where he would grade papers and prepare for the afternoon session.

"Um…" She interrupted.

"Yes Hinata?" Iruka asked, looking up from his work.

"When the garbage in the academy is taken out, where does it go?" She asked, hoping that it didn't sound like too much of a stupid question to be asking.

"That's a strange question… Why do you need to know?" Hinata had hoped to not be questioned about it, but she wasn't that lucky of a person to begin with, so she let out a short breath.

"I lost something…" She didn't like lying, but if she looked in the grey area, she did lose something in a way.

"Really? And you think it was thrown away?"

"Yes." She nodded happily, knowing that he was taking the bait. She was quite amused at just how well a small lie could persuade a person, yet she still disliked the covert action.

"Well the janitors usually go through the trash to some extent, so if there was something valuable in it, it would have been taken out and stored away. Would you like me to go through the items retrieved, there are usually only a few items deemed valuable since this is an academy?

"Yes, that would be good."

"Could you tell me what it is you're looking for then?"

"A tiger?" She told him in an almost questioning tone. She didn't know if the tiger was an object that was thrown away or was a design next to the garbage leading somewhere else, but it didn't hurt to check it out.

"Hmm, ok I'll look and let you know if I found something by the end of the day." He replied, not looking up from his continued work.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei."

* * *

It almost seemed like it took forever for class to finish in the afternoon. Hinata sat thinking about what Naruto's words really meant and if she was on the right track. She also couldn't help but think of how he was getting along in the apartment without her since he still didn't quite figure out the cooking part of living yet. She was dying for the day to end when the bell finally rang, signaling the wait was over. She rushed to Iruka with an expecting smile and a hyperactive bounce in her step.

"Hinata, there was only one thing that had a tiger on it, but I'm not sure it is what you were looking for." The item Iruka saw was not something a little girl like her would have carried around, so he was unsure if it was the item she was looking for.

"It's ok; I'll know it when I see it." She assured, hoping to any higher power that she could when given the chance. Iruka nodded and led her out of the class room and down the hall when Hinata thought she heard a small voice calling out. She ignored it, but it started getting closer, clearer, and louder.

"Someone please!" It called out, just barely audible. "Get me out of here Naruto!"

"It's here Iruka-sensei, I can hear it!" Hinata shouted.

"Hear it?" He wondered out loud.

"Can't you?" She asked, thinking that it was loud enough for anyone to hear it calling out

"I don't hear anything but our footsteps." He revealed with a confusing glance to her. Iruka opened the door to the storage room and Hinata instantly ran inside looking around frantically.

"Tiger-san!" Hinata stopped right in front of an elegant katana with a glimmering blue hued blade. The hamon line was sharp and jagged, unlike to usual curved ones she was used to seeing. She reached out and touched the dingy blue ito wrapping and admired the brass tiger's head on the pommel.

"Do you want to go see Naruto-kun?" She asked in a low whisper and nearly jumped to the ceiling when the brass head moved and looked at her.

"Naruto? Where did he go? You can't just leave a tool like me lying in the trash!" It shouted.

"Sorry tiger-san, but Naruto has had some trouble and asked for me to get you." She told it calmly.

"You… you can hear me too?" Hinata nodded and picked up the blade carefully. It was much heavier than she thought and she almost dropped it.

"Whoa, careful Hinata." Iruka urged when it almost fell and would have made a mess out of those tiny feet of hers.

"It's Ok, I've got it… but it would be better if it was much smaller." Right as she said that, the katana started shrinking in size until it was the size of the kunai she was used to wielding.

"Hinata, did that just…" Hinata smiled and clutched the weapon to her chest and ran out of the academy with only one thought on her mind, Naruto.

* * *

While running she had to wonder just what this strange shape shifting weapon was and just how it could possibly help Naruto if at all, but just the fact that he was calling for it was a good enough reason. She turned a corner at full speed, near her house and bumped into someone she really didn't want to see at that moment. She picked herself back up off the gravel street and looked at the ever irritated teen.

"Neji-nii-san." She greeted politely and moved to go around him when he side stepped to block her path.

"Hinata-sama. You are to report to the dojo. The council has summoned you."

"No. There is something I must do right now." She told him with conviction and pushed him out of her way. Neji got angered at her 'high and mighty' behavior and struck the back of her neck, knocking her out cold and then threw her over his shoulder. He refused to fail the mission he was given by the council.

* * *

Hinata felt her consciousness return and opened her eyes to see nearly the entire Hyuuga estate lining the walls of the dojo. She pulled herself to her knees when she heard the voice in her hands and wished away the pain on the back of her neck.

"Girl, are you ok?"

"I'm fine tiger-san." She whispered.

"I'm trying to stay hidden, but I have to change my shape every few minutes, so at some point I'll have to turn into something large again. I think I should do that outside of this place." He told her, giving her more of a warning than he ever did with Naruto.

"Ok, sit tight and we'll get out of here." She assured and struggled to her feet.

"Hinata, I see your mumbling hasn't stopped and you've refused the position of heir to the clan. This is not becoming of a Hyuuga and we are putting into question how much longer we should allow you to roam free with an unsealed byakugan. You will fight Hanabi for the right to remain unsealed. If you cannot best her within 15 minutes, we will have no other choice than to seal you." Hiashi had a deep sadness in his eyes as he told her this. He seemed reluctant to force the ultimatum upon her, but couldn't go against the clan elders.

Hinata thought about the proposal and honestly thought that taking the seal wouldn't be that bad, but she really hated the look of that thing. She also thought about having to break the news to Naruto what the seal was and a memory of him engulfed in red chakra flashed in her mind. She immediately stood up and was determined to win to prevent a demon rampage.

"I will fight!" She announced clearly. She took off her jacket and threw it to the side only to hear some snickering. She looked around, confused as to the commotion until her sister joined her on the floor.

"Hey, piggy!" She snickered. "Why don't you have a few more sweets, then you'd fit right in with the Akamichis." After Hanabi said those words, Hinata realized what they were snickering about; her excessive weight. She felt uncomfortable now with everyone analyzing her weight change, but quickly shoved it aside and scowled at her sister.

"Shut up and fight Hanabi."

"Sure fatty!" Hinata angrily activated her byakugan at the insult and immediately attacked at full force. Her eyes suddenly got large when her first strike was dodged effortlessly. Even to her own eyes, her strike was much too slow. Hanabi attacked with a flurry of strikes and Hinata bent backwards to dodge them, only to lose her balance and fall on her well-padded butt. This was getting very embarrassing for her and she made a special note to go out of her way and support Choji, since it wasn't easy at all to be overweight.

"You're much too slow to even hit me you sow." Hanabi struck again after having a good sense of Hinata's speed. She readied a powerful jyuken strike and grinned when Hinata's reaction wasn't fast enough and her body was a little larger than she remembered and couldn't dodge the attack. Hanabi's strike landed perfect in the middle of Hinata's abs. She fell back and coughed up blood into her hand and couldn't breathe afterwards with the wind knocked out of her. She gasped for air, turning and crawling away, struggling to buy enough time to catch her breath while tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

Hanabi jumped in front of her and grasped her hair, lifting her face up to hers and held her hand next to the girl's face. Hinata's pained face was starting to pale at the loss of air and her lips were starting to turn blue, yet her sister didn't show an ounce of regret or care.

"Give up sister." Hinata finally inhaled a large gulp of air and started breathing again. Her strength was sapped and she couldn't go on any longer.

"I… I… give up." She gave in and fell to the floor, tears and blood leaking out and staining the floor where her head rested. She cringed and forced herself onto her hands and knees and proceeded to crawl towards where her jacket and the sword lay; she still had to get the sword to Naruto.

The triumphant Hanabi swaggered up to next to her father who carried a disappointed frown. He truly looked hurt by the performance of his precious first born and had to look away from her pathetic form as she struggled to crawl back to her belongings.

"It has been decided that Hinata shall receive the seal." Hiashi commanded without even making eye contact with his daughter and stormed out of the dojo towards his study. He angrily slammed the door to his study and landed in his chair with a sigh. Holding his face in his hands, he shook his head… What a disappointment.

"Hinata…" Hiashi's self-loathing quickly stopped when the door slid open and she stepped in with a few Hyuuga guards who were ordered to follow her so she couldn't run from the sealing.

"Father, I… I need to give back something I borrowed. Could I leave for 15 minutes?" She asked, still gripping the blade to her chest.

"Hinata, has he… regained his memories?" Hinata gasped with wide eyes at his sudden question. "I guess that is a no." Hiashi sighed again before pulling out a scroll from his drawer.

"When you drop off that item of yours, give this to him as well. Hopefully if he regains his memories soon, he can understand." He set the scroll on his desk and turned away to face the wall. Hinata paused for a moment, not sure about what was going on before she grabbed the scroll and headed for the door.

"Thank you." She told him, without turning back. With those final words, she walked out and headed to Naruto.

* * *

She was glad the apartment was so close since her body wasn't feeling up to a long journey. It ached and screamed from the jyuken attacks, but she persisted through it. Peeking over her shoulder, she verified her entourage was still behind her, and cursed under her breath when she realized she couldn't shake them in her current state. She tried ignoring them and let herself into the small apartment, just to see the place was trashed.

At first she thought it was that someone found out about Naruto and this place, but upon further inspection, she noticed that it was just Naruto who had made the mess. He had apparently decided that he was hungry and since Hinata didn't come by to help him, he helped himself. There were packaging for the food he ate, presumably raw, thrown in every direction, except on his bed where he lay with a painfully swollen stomach from all he ate. She giggled quietly and noticed, with astonishment, that he actually ate everything left in the refrigerator, something which should have lasted him 2 weeks.

She watched his peacefully sleeping body and held back a few tears when she realized what was going to take place the next day. She sighed and placed all the scrolls she had from her place and set them on a small table in the corner, followed by the strange sword. She then knelt down next to his bed and brushed her fingers across his cheeks.

"I know I haven't told you this before, because you wouldn't understand it, but… I love you Naruto-kun." She lightly kissed his cheek and then turned for the door, with one more look over her shoulder, she silently slipped out of the room and back towards the Hyuuga estate.

"Hinata… mine." He growled happily after the door shut, remembering her soft touch.

"Hey! Naruto!" The shape shifting sword shouted. "Your girl is going to get hurt!" A low growl was heard from the blonde and had it been able to jump, it would have when the red eyes peered at the strange object.

"MINE!" He growled, warning the sword what he'd do if Hinata was taken from him.

"Hold your horses, I'm not the enemy. Now take me and let's go get her!" Naruto cocked his head, not understanding the strange voice. Curiously he reached out his clawed hand and grabbed the sword.

"Yeah, now we can get something accomplished." The sword shouted, before it started shivering in Naruto's hand, causing him to look at it strangely. The blade transformed into hundreds of different shapes in a matter of a second, creating quite a spectacle.

"No, wait… you can be doing this." Shape Shifter begged. "Stop, no… you can't… NOOOOOOOOO!"

Naruto dropped the strange sword and watched as the blue ito shredded into nothingness. Dark red leather formed out from the same nothingness and snaked its way around the hilt, ending at the tiger shaped pommel. The tiger's head started twisting and turning until it no longer appeared to be a tiger, let alone any animal. With a metallic growl a set of fangs poked out of the deformed pommel and forming with it was the rest of a head like that of a demon fox.

**"Grrrraaaaarrrrrrrr"** it shouted. The blade suddenly doubled in size and took on a reddish hue.

**"Ahh, that's the stuff! Twelve years stuck in that boy and now I have a body of my own… well not quite a real body, but better than what I had before."** The blade pulsed a large amount of chakra, enough that it settled along the floor like a mist.

**"Boy! Grab the hilt, we have work to do!"** Naruto looked at the sword and started backing away, sensing danger from it.

**"Come on you pussy! Don't you recognize the one who lived inside you, now take hold or your mate will be taken from you."**

"NO! HINATA MINE!" He howled and angrily grabbed the sword, preparing to throw it, when a burst of chakra spread across his body, resulting in the feeling of being dizzy. He stumbled on his legs before falling backwards onto the bed.

**"Now rest… by tomorrow you will have become a true hanyou!"** After those words the Kyuubi laughed at the top of his lungs, knowing no one could hear the voice of his spirit from within the sword.

* * *

Naruto woke with the strange sound of birds chirping, insects flying and thousands of voices in his head, giving him a headache, not to mention the new smells he was inhaling. All his senses felt like they were on fire. He cringed and reached up to scratch his head.

"What are these?!" He demanded, feeling strange appendages on his head.

**"Ears idiot! Well, not real ears, but you'll figure it out."**

"Huh? What?! That must have been some detention!" He commented like he usually would before his transformation.

**"Shut up and listen closely, Naruto. Grab the sword and I'll unlock your memories from the past month and what you went through to get to this point. You will truly realize feeling you have never thought about before."**

"Hey, aren't you Shape Shifter? Wait… You don't sound like him." The blonde commented while looking at the sword curiously.

**"Of course I'm not! I threw that old coot into a cage in the corner, one much smaller than the one you kept me in."**

"So… who are you?" He asked, not drawing the conclusion on his own.

**"I'm the Kyuubi! But if you'd like you can call me by my actual name; Kurama. Now before the rest of the questions start, you need to remember some ****_very_**** important things. Now grab the sword!"**

"Ok fine…" Naruto grabbed the sword without a moment's thought and his blue eyes completely blanked out as the memories of the past month flooded in along with what the sword saw while with Hinata. His eyes suddenly flashed red, marking the end of his memory recall and a low rumble sounded in his chest. He blinked a few times as he processed the information which seemingly filled the strange gaps that were missing in his memory.

There were the memories of jumping on Hinata and nibbling at her neck and those of her caringly preparing him food. He remembered the tiny things she did for him and how she protected him when he was hurt, but the biggest thing that kept ringing in his ears was the last words she said while he slept… 'I love you…'

"Say… Kurama…" Naruto started in a much lower and serious voice than usual. His voice seemed deeper than before, but he didn't really care about that, he was worried about the surge of feelings he had that dwarfed the childish little crush he had on Sakura. His heart ached for a girl with dark hair and a loving smile.

"Did all that stuff really happen?" He asked, just to be sure he wasn't imagining things.

**"It certainly did. Now what are you going to do about your mate?"**

"Don't call her that! Her name is Hinata…" He stood up angrily and gripped the sword tightly while walking to the door. "…And she's… still mine!" He reached for the door and was about to open it when Kurama interrupted him.

**"You may want some clothes first."**

Naruto looked down and noticed the pants he was wearing looked like capris and his feet were noticeably bigger than the sandals at the door. Raising up his arm he then realized his entire body had gone through a major transformation. He ran to the bathroom mirror and gasped when he saw what he looked like. He definitely looked older, almost close to 18 and definitely had a manlier look as well. He took a moment to admire his new muscles in the mirror with a grin.

"Hey Kurama, can I get rid of these ear like things, they look too demonic. I don't want to scare anyone in the village."

**"I can take care of how people view your chakra as long as you hold the hilt of the sword."**

"Ok, great… one more thing… Actually two; why did I suddenly start thinking less like a kid and why aren't you as evil as I imagined?"

**"As a hanyou, you age at an alarming rate until you reach the maturity of about 18-20, then you stop aging. And the reason I'm not trying to cut your throat out is that I'm not held to my promises anymore… stupid curse…"**

"Huh? What do you mean?" The kyuubi sighed, he really didn't want to go into all that at that one moment, but it was asked…

**"Do you remember that promise you made to the pink haired bimbo?"**

"Yeah, about not asking her out on a date? No, wait… you mean the reason I actually couldn't ask her out on a date after that was because of your strange curse is now on me?"

**"Congratulations, my last gift to you." **He replied with something as close to a giggle as you could imagine from a demonic fox.

"This is just too much to take in… I'm going to snag some clothes and go get Hinata first." He stepped outside and dashed towards his old apartment. He was simply amazed at the speed he was able to achieve in this more mature body. He barely even had time for that thought before he was entering his apartment. Rummaging through his drawers he finally found what he was looking for; a pair of black and orange pants that were miss ordered and a black t shirt he used to use as a baggy sleeping shirt. With his new clothing on his body, he headed back to the door and smiled when he looked at the sword in his hands. He concentrated on an image in his mind, hoping that it worked the same with his kyuubi blade as it did for Shape Shifter.

**"Oh, ho… that is a neat idea." **Kurama commented as an image came to him.

Naruto held out his hand and was glad to feel a thick leather sheath form in his hand. He looked down at the small, foot long sheath, and then at the nearly three foot long blade in his other. Lifting up the long blade, he slid it into the sheath amazed that the whole of the blade disappeared into the smaller holder.

"Now we're set…" Naruto leaned forward took off in a cloud of dust. He was charging straight into the Hyuuga estate within minutes of leaving his apartment. Without even slowing, he followed his instincts which begged for him to find his mate and eliminate any and all obstacles along the way. This new feeling led him through the maze of halls, ending with a large set of doors into a room full of the Hyuuga elders.

* * *

"From as long as there has been the burden of the byakugan, we have only allowed those with the abilities to protect it have unlimited use of it. Since it had been decided that you are unworthy of this burden, we will take the burden upon ourselves to relieve you of it."

With a loud boom, all eyes were trained on the source of the noise. As the dust cleared they were met by the gaze of a young man of whom they had never seen before. He took a few steps into the room and grinned wide, showing off his long fangs. Hinata gasped with tears in her eyes. He looked very different than the person she left behind, but she was sure that it was Naruto. Toping it all off, he didn't look as demonic as before.

"What a retarded speech! It doesn't even make sense. Just let Hinata go and end this farce." He shouted.

"J… Just who do you think you are?" Sputtered one elder, being caught off guard with the insult.

**"He is the new Kyuubi; grovel at his feet you lowly humans!" **The Kyuubi shouted, although no one could hear him.

"They still can't hear you." The blonde whispered to the kitsune sword. Naruto looked out at the Hyuuga standing in a defensive position around the room, analyzing each and every one of them. He could see their throats move as they gulped and the sweat leaking from their pores as they felt the presence of the man before them. He could even hear their hearts race.

"We demand an answer!" Another elder shouted, using all the strength in his body.

"Who am I? I'm Uzumaki Naruto; now let Hinata go."

"You? What reason could you possibly have for interfering with our clan?" The brave one hollered back.

"Easy…" He stated calmly. He took a step forward and the smile faded from his face while the whiskered marks darkened. His eyes flashed red while a dark red aura formed around him, frightening the Hyuuga. "**SHE'S MINE!" **

"M…Monster!" One shouted, scared of the man walking towards Hinata, who actually seemed happy he was coming towards her.

"Hinata…" He greeted. All the malice in his heart lifted when he saw her and got closer to her form.

"Naruto-kun…"

"You know… I never really talked to you before, so it seems a little strange that I feel so possessive of you, but anyone who could treat me like you did in that other form is someone I need to keep around."

"But… you look so much older, now and I just look like an overweight 12 year old." She reasoned, almost falling back to her usually shy self after seeing such a perfect form of the person she cared for.

"Well, according to the Kyuubi, your body didn't quite change the way it should have, probably because my change wasn't fully completed yet either. So I guess, in a way, your body was only preparing you for a change more… substantial."

"Substantial?"

"Yep, you wanna see? It will probably hurt quite a bit though." He warned, not wanting her to be ill prepared.

"I… I trust your judgment, Naruto-kun…" He smiled and nodded before gripping her shoulders tightly. He hooked his thumb under her collar and in one movement pulled it down over her shoulder, exposing the flesh of her neck. He tenderly licked her flesh before burying his fangs into her. She let out a muffled scream at the sharp pain, followed by a low groan when she felt her body start to change.

"It hurts!" she whined with tears in her eyes. Her skin felt like it was being forcefully pulled from her body and every bone in her small frame felt like it was getting snapped in half. She cringed and yelped in pain as her joints were stretched and pulled into their new location. Suddenly her whimpering stopped with the fading of her pain and she felt… strangely powerful.

Naruto removed his fangs from her flesh and licked up the blood leaking from the small wounds. Almost instantaneously the blood stopped flowing and the wound healed shut. He stepped back from her with a smile, which soon faded when his heart skipped a beat.

"Hinata… you're…" He breathed, finding himself astonished at what he saw.

She gained a little over 6 inches in height and a fully matured body with some major curve action going on. Her small chest tripled in size, making her black t shirt she was wearing before almost look like a sports bra. Topping the whole change was her fit and firm muscles with the perfect amount of fat lining them so they looked very soft and womanly. Hinata smiled seeing him look at her in the hungry way he did and ran her hands through her hair, surprising her at the fact that it was now quite long, reaching down to her lower back.

When Naruto turned to the room of Hyuuga, with his arm around Hinata, he was expecting to see angry eyes and people demanding a fight, but what he witnessed instead was wide eyes and Hiashi on his knees bowing to them.

"Ok, so what's going on?" Naruto asked. This reaction was so strange and unexpected. Hiashi cleared his throat before starting to speak.

"As it was written long ago in the Hyuuga scrolls, we of the clan stand witness to the rebirth of The Lord of Foxes and recognize Hyuuga Hinata as his chosen mate."

"Wait? What?" Now Naruto was confused as to why Hiashi had suddenly referred to him as. He was expecting a fight and silently wanted one, but he was being treated almost like royalty.

"Naruto-kun, didn't you read the scroll I left you?" Hinata inquired, only to get a blank stare in return.

"Uh… no. I was… preoccupied."

"Read it in detail when you get back, but the short version is that the Hyuuga are descendants of a fox hanyou, which gave us the gift of the Byakugan. The clan holds those of the kitsune clan above our own."

"So then…"

"As the Lord of Foxes; you stand above even the head of the Hyuuga clan and its elders." She informed. He grinned nervously, not sure how to take the change of events.

"So if I say: I order all branch members to be unsealed…?" He shouted loudly and clearly, making his statement more of an order than a question.

"Ahem… I… we receive your order." Hiashi replied with a lowered gaze while the clansmen all gasped.

"Hmmm, nice concept… well, Hinata, let's go get some clothes for you and sort out all the changes that have happened to us."

"Clothes?" She then looked down at her appearance and gulped. She touched her chest curiously and was happy to find out that they were indeed part of her body.

"Uh… Sounds good, Naruto-kun." Naruto held out his hand and was eagerly accepted by the woman. He led her back through the estate and into the village, leaving the Hyuuga to carry out his order and stare at their fleeting forms

* * *

chapter 3 end

Stay tuned... there will be more on the way soon. I hope to get all 70,000+ words uploaded before Christmas as a gift to you all... in word that equals 154 pages and over 403,000 presses of the keyboard.

Until next time

...Later


	4. Chapter 4

****Its been like what, four hours since I've updated? Sounds like a good round number to send out another chapter! There will be a total of 11 chapters, all over 5,500 words and one edging close to 10,000. I'll be updating all day long as I get them polished and uploaded.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

After a quick trip to one of the Hyuuga's main tailors, they came out with upgraded attires. Hinata kept it simple and low key, opting for a lavender and off white zip up hoodie, with proper fitting pants and Naruto just got a jacket to go with his pants from earlier… and of course put a few more on order for when theirs get worn out with training.

(FYI: Naruto and Hinata now appear similar to their Post time skip selves, yet they haven't graduated academy yet, so their ninja skill still need a lot of polishing.)

Ending up back at the recuperative apartment, the pair sat on the bed and started going through the various scrolls taken from the Hyuuga. Naruto read through each one carefully, setting some to one side of him and other on the remaining side. Hinata looked at him inquisitively, noticing the two different piles. Once he was done, he looked over to her and smiled.

"One side has the scrolls I understand, the other I can't grasp all of it." Hinata looked at the piles and shook her head when she realized there was only one scroll that he understood completely.

"Which did you understand?"

"The message from Hiashi that asked for my help in rescuing you. He told me about my father and mother and how he had a theory that the Kyuubi was somehow being controlled during the attack 12 years ago, since the village was supposed to be under its protection."

**"It is as he says."** The kyuubi spoke, surprising Hinata in the fact that it wasn't the weak old voice of the tiger she expected. She would have noticed it when he spoke at the Hyuuga estate, but she was so shocked at Naruto's mature appearance that it never registered with her. She looked at the brass fox head and poked it with her finger.

**"Poke me again and I might bite your finger off."** He warned. Hinata giggled and pulled her hand back.

"So that's the kyuubi? What happened to tiger-san?"

**"I caged him up. He was too weak and gave into his selfish desires for forms that pleased him. Now with me in control, all forms will be a form that can kill cleanly and instantly. I also have more restraint and won't turn into some huge weapon when you're trying to hide. That old coot nearly got us both killed. Also, there is no need to change shape every few minutes like he told you; he was just senile."**

"Oh…" She looked slightly saddened, but even she was unsure if it was because of the sword being forcefully subdued or if it was the news that Naruto could have died.

"Well, Hinata, how about you explain these scroll to me first, and then we'll get Kurama to tell us about our new bodies." Naruto set the kitsune sword on the bed and the moment he did Hinata shrieked with glee.

"They're so cute!" She remarked while intently inspecting the red translucent fox ears which became apparent after he removed contact with the sword. "It's strange though… It seems like you've had them since you got me, but I just now noticed them."

**"That's kitsune magic. A camouflage that lets us show only what we want you to see. Someday you both will have access to this ability, but as of now, you have yet to recognize the source of our power; but more about that later."**

"Wow… I'm going to enjoy this…" Hinata breathed, thinking of all the possibilities.

"Um… the scrolls?" The blonde hinted, bringing her attention back to him.

"Oh, yeah… sorry Naruto-kun… Well…" She started by looking thorough the three remaining scrolls, and separating them for easier explanation.

"This one just describes the theory on how to artificially make a hanyou from a bijou. Since you lived through it, I don't think I need to explain the details. Basically you were the first successful attempt. The work was abandoned on the subject when it failed on your grandmother, but apparently all details should have been destroyed…" She tossed that scroll to the side and opened the next one.

"This one details the lineage of the Hyuuga clan and its ties with the Uchiha. It started with the 7 tailed demon fox, Known by the name Myobu. She had a child with one of the two sons of the sage of six paths – the resulting Hanyou had translucent white eyes. Because of the unfavorable appearance, it was deemed a monster and cast out with its mother. That same descendent then took a human wife and the Uchiha clan was born from her…

Now the Hanyou became upset when his mother told him about the betrayal of her mate and how she could never be with another, so he went off to destroy that same village 30 years later. When he came to the village, his eyes landed on a beautiful moon maiden at a local shrine. He fell in love at the first sight of her deep purple eyes, but was worried about his own appearance which caused his betrayal and so he used kitsune magic to appear more handsome to humans…

Soon the two were engaged to be married and the hanyou decided to tell her the truth about his lineage. When he dropped his kitsune magic, she just smiled at him and informed him that she could see through it the whole time and already knew what he looked like. She had fallen for him as the hanyou he was. Their many children were born with the 'white all seeing eye' or what we call the byakugan, although the early eyes were said to have a more purple color than they do currently."

**"Myobu is the title of the seven tails; the one from that time took her own life after the death of her son and was replaced with the current Myobu. Other than the given titles, demon kitsune have no names."**

"You have a name Kurama." Naruto corrected with a smirk.

**"True; that was because the sage of six paths gave me that name after bestowing a great portion of the ten tails' chakra on me. At that time I was only a one tailed kitsune yokai with no title and afterwards I became the nine tails, the kyuubi; the most powerful kitsune in our noble history. Many others from the kitsune clan dislike how I got my status, but no one can deny my authority and power. It will take a great amount of persuasion to get them to accept you as the new Lord of Foxes as it did for me. "**

"Now that you brought that up…" Hinata continued. "…this last scroll explains the process of summoning other kitsune. It is almost identical to ninja summoning except you must have kitsune DNA."

**"That is correct young one, but it would be disastrous for you to summon one which was unwilling to listen to you. You should only summon specific ones, and probably after Naruto has met them to ensure your safety."**

"Good to know… So what can you tell us about our new bodies?" Hinata asked, now that her explanations were concluded.

**"As you are aware by now, your bodies have gone through a transformation. You are now at the physical and mental maturity of an 18 year old due to the effects of being a hanyou and his mate. A demon has the ability to choose a mate from any age group and after the contract, or bite, has been completed, the mate will be tied to him, resulting in the sharing of life forces and ages to match each other. From that point on, both age the same and if one dies so does the other."**

"So the reason my body behaved weird was…?" Hinata wondered, thinking back at how she got fat very quickly.

**"Naruto bit you before his transformation was complete. Luckily though, you packed on plenty of calories so you didn't have to endure a lot of pain."**

"Not a lot of pain!?" She asked incredulously.

**"Exactly, I had to knock him out to allow his transformation to take place."**

"So that reminds me… Where did my memories go?" Naruto asked, feeling uncomfortable at the amount of pain he had caused his mate.

**"That sannin Orochimaru attempted to clear your memories so you could be controlled, but unlucky for him the kyuubi is not a being to entertain yourself with. I took the liberty of prolonging the transformation as to not allow the total elimination of your memories until I could be removed from your body and restore them from outside."**

"Great, so… why did you help anyways? You could have just let it go. It isn't like you owe the village anything." There was a long pause after the question was asked by the hanyou.

**"Didn't want to die." **Kurama answered.

"Fair enough…"

"Are… Are there any side effects to becoming Hanyou?" Hinata asked, worried there were a few strange things… especially one from her perspective.

**"Good question. The only side effects are the increases in animalistic urges, like wanting to hunt and eat meat, extreme desire to protect ones possessions and a strong desire to mate."** Hinata blushed at the last word… she was afraid that was going to be a side effect.

"What does mate mean?" Naruto asked, showing that just because his mind had the maturity of an 18 year old, didn't mean he got knowledge he didn't already learn.

"D… Don't worry about that right now Naruto-kun… I… I'll show y… you sometime later." She forced out with a shy smile. Normally she would have passed out at just the thought, so a little nervous stutter wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

**"Moving right along… Naruto, you will have the most difficult problems, mainly because of the curse I received when I was bestowed the ten tails' chakra. I couldn't break a promise if I made one. I was unaware of this until I met Uchiha Madara and because of a stupid promise I made just to shut him up, I was used against my will to attack Konoha. Fortunately you can't make a promise that is impossible to keep, but unfortunately you are now the kyuubi hanyou and nothing is impossible with time. I strongly urge you to never make a promise to anyone like you did so carelessly with that pink slut. There is a benefit to it though; by making a promise, it increases your concentration so you can accomplish your task easier."**

"Hmmm… Sakura-chan…" His voice faded off at the end while he thought of his old crush. It almost seemed like it had been years since all of that took place. The Hyuuga was getting worried as he thought about Sakura, afraid that he would still hold a candle for her.

"Actually, she seems like she's just another classmate now after awakening to feelings for Hinata. It's almost mind bending really." He followed up, easing her thoughts just a little.

"So who do you think looks better?" Hinata wondered with a flirtatious grin.

"Very dumb question Hinata, you are stunning, with a rack which would make Shikamaru's deer jealous, besides, I'm not into kids anymore; I need the curves of a real woman."

"That's… um thank you?" Naruto laughed at her response and stretched out his arms with a yawn.

"I'm exhausted… Are you Hinata?"

"I… I could sleep."

"You hungry?"

"For the first time in a month, no." She replied quickly, almost appalled at the thought of eating again after everything she consumed in the past month.

"OK, well, I'm turning in." Naruto cleared off the bed and yawned once more before tossing aside his jacket and crashing on the mattress.

"You coming?" He asked when he saw Hinata move for the door. She turned a deep red and nodded. She tossed off the majority of her clothes and hurriedly jumped into bed, letting out a satisfying sigh when she felt a warm arm lay over her body and held her tightly.

"Naruto-kun? How long are we going to be together?" She asked after lying in silence for a few minutes.

"Forever."

"That's a long time, you sure?" She wanted to test him since he had that answer much too quickly.

"Yeah… I _promise_." He told her, making sure to draw attention to the last word, cementing his devotion to their unorthodox relationship since he knew he couldn't break his promises.

* * *

Morning came with dreams of soft fluffy clouds so inviting you'd like to reach out touch them. Their smooth plush surface making way for your fingers to effortlessly get buried in their warm embrace… but clouds aren't warm are they?

"OUCH!" Screamed a now wide awake girl clutching her chest from the edge of the bed. Her face showed of both anger and embarrassment at what had transpired. Naruto was now wide awake from the loud 'alarm clock' and was trying to figure out just what had gone on.

"What was that?" He shouted, being forcefully pulled from his sleep. She looked at him with a pointed glare, still covering her left side of her chest.

"Just… just trim your nails, your claws are too sharp." She told him, still not quite able to stand the embarrassment of showing off her new wound.

"Yeah, ok." He mindlessly agreed while watching her almost perfect body pass by towards the bathroom. She remained in the room for a few minutes, returning with a blush and a smile, fully energized for the day.

"Hey Hinata, What day is it?" Naruto asked while heading to the same room to take care of his needs.

"May 31st, why?"

"Isn't that the day of graduation?"

"Uh…" Hinata's face went blank upon the realization. "We're going to be late!"

They hurriedly got ready and bolted out the door towards the academy. Since they were short on time, they didn't even stop for breakfast along the way, not like Hinata wanted to anyways. When they arrived at the academy, they both thought the building looked smaller than they last remembered, completely forgetting about their new size difference and appearance as they entered.

When the pair stepped into their class room, the hollering of 'Sasuke-kun!' suddenly stopped when all eyes fell on the one in orange and the Hyuuga next to him. That was when they remembered that their appearance had changed dramatically. Naruto grinned like usual and ignored the stares. Grabbing Hinata' s hand, he led her to the back row and took their seats.

"Hey look at that Hinata, Sasuke isn't gay after all. Look at him staring at your 'twin peaks'." At the comment Sasuke quickly turned away, making Naruto laugh.

"You can't say that about Sasuke-kun, you… you … you…" Sakura vehemently defended.

"And look Naruto-kun; that pink haired hooker can't even make a sentence." She teased. She wasn't ever much for making fun of another since she had been at the end of jokes for quite some time, but she just really hated the girl who couldn't see Naruto for who he was and berated him at every turn.

"No freaking way!" Ino shouted when she made the connection as to who they were.

"What the hell did you two eat, and where can I get some?" She finished as she started coveting Hinata's womanly body, but not in a sexual way.

"Sorry Ino, it was a freak accident, don't know what happened." Naruto offered, like it was a common occurrence. Sasuke stood up all in a huff and stopped in front of the blonde.

"You… fight me"

"Eh… I don't feel like wasting time." He replied, greatly pissing off the Uchiha. This was the first time in his short life that things seemed fun.

"Ok class, I'll hand out the written portion of the… test…" Iruka dropped the test papers as he laid eyes on his two full grown students.

"You two. In the hall." He ordered sternly. Naruto shrugged his shoulders and pulled Hinata by the hand out into the hall. Iruka followed and shut the door behind him.

"Quit playing stupid pranks!" Iruka shouted and landed a hard fist on Naruto's head. His mouth dropped open when he felt it contact very sturdy flesh and the henge technique didn't get released.

"Not a prank, and don't try grabbing Hinata's ass to make sure, she's all her too." Both Iruka and Hinata blushed at his brash comment, it was entirely inappropriate, but that was definitely Naruto.

"What the hell happened?" Their teacher requested, wanting to know the details.

"It was a side effect in a way…" Naruto mentioned, while gripping his stomach, not really wanting to go into too much detail.

"I see. I think you should talk to Hokage-sama about this… I'm going to venture a guess and say that with 'his' energy incorporated into you that you are now beyond the scope of our academy." He saw Naruto nod and then his sights landed on the woman next to him.

"I don't really get it, but somehow Hinata was affected too?" He reasoned.

"That's a good assumption. I'm not sure what that old man will want people to know, so I'll leave it as that." Naruto responded with the grin remaining on his face.

"Yeah… that's probably good." The blonde gave him a quick wave and walked away from Iruka towards the Hokage's office with Hinata still by his side. After a quick run to the Hokage's office, Naruto barged right into a meeting with a group of jonin without a care in the world, interrupting their conversation.

"Hey old man!" He shouted, greeting him in his usual way.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama, please excuse the intrusion." Hinata apologized with a bow. All eyes were on the two unknown couple, wondering just who they were.

"I see you got your memories back…" The Sandaime commented, and then started focusing on Hinata's form. With a gentle bluch on his aging cheeks, he quickly averted his gaze.

"I guess you could say things took a turn for the better?" HE offered as a response to her appearance.

"Yes Hokage-sama." She replied, then caught a glimpse of Kurenai to her left and gave the woman a smile.

"Hinata?... Wow." She commented, recognizing the polite and gentle eyes of her little charge.

"Ahem…" The Hokage interrupted. "I assume you are here to inquire about graduating the academy."

"That's right geezer." The Sandaime attempted to ignore Naruto's nickname and continued on.

"Well, I took the liberty of informing the jonin in this room of your changes and their reason, but we are having troubles deciding on who should be your sensei."

**"Ask him to summon Jiraiya. He was your father's teacher and should have at least one technique we could use." **Naruto nodded and started to inform the Hokage about Kurama's request.

"Actually, the Kyuubi has suggested that we ask for Jiraiya, since he was my father's sensei."

"Well, I can see that there are no secrets left between us now…" The third commented with a shaky voice.

"And you said the Kyuubi told you?" The brilliant old man was worried just what influence the Kyuubi was going to have on the young ninja.

"Yeah, Kurama now lives in this shape shifting sword…" The Sandaime gasped when he saw the sword being removed from the sheath.

"One of the three lost treasures… The last sword of Muramasa."

"So it must be a famous sword then? The old guy who lived in it before was kind of annoying." Naruto commented off hand.

"I see… well is there any objections to this year's assignments?" He asked the jonin group. Of course none had a word to say since the two of them getting trained by a sannin would be a privilege. "Good, I will send a message to Jiraiya and see if he agrees to the offer. Unfortunately though, that leaves us short two ninja for our teams.

"If I may?" Kakashi interrupted "I suggest that I train the Uchiha directly since I have the sharingan and we would just have to put the other in the last team."

"Hmm… I could see that being beneficial… Just don't let him fall like the other Uchiha." Kakashi nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke, soon followed by the other jonin.

"I need to learn how to do that." Naruto commented, while looking at the dispersing smoke.

"All in due time my boy… Now If you will promise to follow the orders of the Hokage, I will give you your hitai-ate."

**"Make a promise wisely."** Warned Kurama, after seeing the complexities and vagueness of the proposed promise. Naruto thought about it and had to agree with him. To promise to follow the Hokage could become a disaster if a bad one was somehow chosen.

"Actually, I don't think I can make that kind of promise." The Hokage gave him a questioning look.

"If I make a promise I will adhere to it without fail, but what if we end up with a psycho Hokage down the road? Should I follow him blindly or question his orders? I want to follow the orders of a just Hokage and not of someone with the title."

"You make a good point… So then, how shall you declare your loyalty to the village?" Naruto thought for a while and couldn't come up with a good alternative. Suddenly he heard the sweet voice of Hinata ring in his ears.

"Hi no Ishi." She blurted out.

"Hi no Ishi?" The hanyou questioned. The phrase was familiar but he couldn't place what exactly it was.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. Hi no Ishi; or the will of fire. The desire to love, believe, cherish and fight for the village's sake. We won't exist for the sake of the Hokage, but for the sake of the village. If we make a promise to uphold the Will of Fire, then we would be within our rights to fight the Hokage if he goes against the village and it teachings."

"Yes… That is true…" Hiruzen said while pondering the idea with the stroke of his chin. "I can work with that." He answered while picking up a scroll and scribbling something down in it. After stamping it with his seal, he set it down on his desk and pushed it towards the pair.

"Do you promise to uphold the Will of Fire and protect its teachings?"

"I promise." They both said in unison.

"Very well, you will be issued special Hitai-ate showing you as the protectors of the Will of Fire. Please bring this scroll to the village's weapons dealer and they will issue your proof of being a ninja."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Hinata bowed politely while Naruto grabbed the scroll.

"Thanks old man! Once I become an awesome ninja, I'll come back and take that chair from you!" He declared with his trademark grin and waved while leaving the office.

"That kid; always a handful… He will certainly reshape the ninja world as we know it."

* * *

The pair walked hand in hand out of the office and out into the streets of Konoha. They were nearing the weapons quarter when Hinata caught a whiff of something sweet and smelled of cinnamon. Her eyes lit up when she realized she was passing by one of her favorite shops. The smell from the shop had never been that strong and full of allure as it had at that particular moment in time.

Naruto paused when he heard something strange with his newly heightened hearing. He looked over and noticed that the sound must have been from Hinata licking her lips, thinking about the overwhelming smell of the tasty treat.

"Hinata?" She suddenly broke from her trance and looked at the person staring directly at her, making her feel self-conscious.

"If you want some, you don't have to hold back." He urged, somehow knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Um…" She started, but couldn't come up with anything to say with the wonderful smell filling her nose.

"OK." She nervously smiled and disappeared in short order into the shop. She returned with a cheery smile and a small bag in one hand, while the other was unceremoniously stuffing her face with her satisfying food. She mumbled with a full mouth and handed the bag to Naruto.

"Thanks Hinata!" He shouted happily and started eating the one she got for him.

* * *

They saw the smoke billowing out from the small weapons shop as Hinata was licking her fingers clean. She looked over at her partner and noticed he had some cinnamon still on his lips.

"Naruto-kun…" She got his attention and motioned towards his lips.

"Oh…" he replied in understanding and wiped at his face with his hand, completely missing what she had pointed out. "Did I get it?" She shook her head and stepped closer to him.

Standing on the tips of her toes, she leaned in closer, wrapping her hands around his head and pulled his face to meet hers. She pressed her lips to his and lightly ran her tongue across his lips while maintaining the kiss only breaking off when she had licked the sweet substance from him. She shyly looked up at him with her ever insistent blush.

"It's gone now." She breathed through a happy sigh.

"I'll say…" He commented while reflecting on that hot kiss.

"Uh, yeah… the weapons place is up ahead." He decided to change the subject since there was a strange feeling welling up inside of him and he started being afraid as to what it was and wanted to put it out of his mind. Hinata let out a short giggle knowing just what was going through his mind since she had to deal with something similar a month earlier.

She had to run to catch back up to his retreating form right as he stepped into the shop. The place was small and filled to the brim with all measures of weapons and ninja tools. You could hear the faint pounding of the blacksmith in the back of the shop hard at work with his craft.

"Hi, what can I help you with?" Asked a cheery young girl. She was playing with a deck of strange cards behind the front counter. Her hair was tied up in two buns and a Chinese style outfit covered her body. The Konoha hitai-ate tied around her head indicated that she was a ninja of the village. Naruto silently handed over the scroll to the girl. She opened it and read the print on the scroll before rolling it back up again..

"Dad! We've got an ASAP order from the Hokage." She called out before tossing the scroll through an open hole in the wall. They heard a man's grumbling from behind the previously mentioned wall, confirming he received it.

"It'll be done in a few minutes. Would you like for me to read your fortunes? I've been getting really good at it. Oh, my name's TenTen by the way."

"Uh, sure I guess." Naruto relented. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto and this is Hinata." He felt there was no real need to state her family name since it was overwhelmingly obvious.

"Alright Naruto, you're first." The girl handed the shuffled deck to him to be cut and quickly dealt out seven cards, placing two towards her upper left, two in the upper right and three along the bottom.

"This is called a seven card spread; the two in the corners are for past and future, respectively, while the three are for the present or something very recent, like within a day or two."

TenTen flipped over the two cards for the past revealing 'The Tower' and the '3 of Swords'.

"Interesting… the tower represents: disruption, conflict, change, or sudden violent loss. Now the 3 of swords say almost the same: sorrow and extreme pain, heartbreak, separation, but hints at an establishment for something better…" She pondered the card's meaning for a few moments.

"The fact that they are in your past means that you have lost something a long time ago in a violent way that drastically changed the way you lived. I would interpret these to suggest that you have lost someone close to you, maybe a parent, but they left something almost more beneficial behind than themselves… Am I on the right track?"

"Uh…" Naruto muttered, definitely showing his astonishment to what she just gleaned.

"My parents were killed in the Kyuubi attack… I could also say that I was left with something quite powerful."

"Ok, then the reading has taken hold…" She moved to the three cards at the bottom and started flipping them over from left to right revealing: 'Death', 'The Lovers', and 'Knight of Wands'.

"Wow… now this is something I have never seen." Both Naruto and Hinata were staring at the 'Death' card, wondering just what that was doing there since they were very much alive.

"The Death card rarely shows up as a present card… In this context, it doesn't actually mean 'Death' but more of a casting out an old life and embracing a new one. The lovers card in the center represents a love that is the main force in life. Many times it is said to represent confusion in ones love life, but I get a feeling this one is more that the love came to be in a confusing way?" She looked up and saw the look on his face, indicating she was definitely on the right course.

"Wow, you are a weird one… Now the knight of wands: It basically says that you are impulsive, energetic, opinionated, hasty, action oriented… I'd say that one is right on the money judging from your choice of outfit coloring, now onto the future…" She flipped over the last two cards and saw the 'World' card followed by the 'nine of cups'.

"Well, these two are closely related, basically it says you will find ultimate happiness, and accomplishments in your life and your dreams will become a reality. So what is your biggest dream?" She asked after seeing that his dream was bound to come true if you believed in the card readings

"That's easy… I'm going to be Hokage!" TenTen nearly died… if her fortune telling was indeed correct, then he'd become Hokage, she wasn't too sure she'd like that going off of his current personality.

"Well, that's something to look forward to. Now to finish up your reading… Looking at the series of cards, all but two are from the major arcane, which means you have an extremely strong life presence; it usually means your life will be long. Alright that's it for you. Hinata, was it? How about you?"

"Sure." Strangely Hinata was really enjoying the fortune telling and was looking forward to hers. After cutting the deck, she handed the cards back to TenTen. She spread them out and started the reading by flipping over the first two cards and looked at them weirdly.

"I've never seen two upside down cards come out in a row…" She shrugged it off and analyzed the meaning.

"The Judgment card in this orientation represents: Fear of change and sometimes fear of death, lack of progress, due to lack of important decision making, and guilt. And the 4 of Swords in this orientation represents: banishment, enforced isolation, seclusion, imprisonment, cowardice, depression and failure of nerve. This all means that in the past you've been unsure, afraid, and shy and had a feeling of imprisonment… Thank you Hyuuga clan…" She muttered the last part unhappily.

"So you know about the Hyuuga?" Hinata asked, after hearing the last jab.

"Sure, I hear a lot from my teammate Neji."

"I didn't know you were on Neji-nii-san's team." Hinata nearly exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's a real pain in the butt."

"He's a member of the branch right?" Naruto asked, already knowing the answer. "I bet after a few days, he'll be like a different person." He commented, knowing that they had no other choice than to accept his order to banish the seal.

"Well, back to the reading…" TenTen flipped over the next three cards, revealing 'Death, ' The Lovers', and the 'queen of swords'.

"Wow! You two are tied together by some connection alright… I'm guess you two are the lovers…" She said to herself, not expecting a reply, but the blush on Hinata's face was enough.

"The Queen of Swords is a powerful card as well. It represents: A complex, courageous, intelligent woman, who may well have suffered some deep sorrow or loss. She is concerned with attention to accuracy and detail and can skillfully balance opposing factions to meet her own needs. She has attained inner wisdom and a sense of truth. The card is one for women who have overcome adversity especially at the hands of men, to obtain a state of grace… It would seem that your connection with him has started your life anew allowing you to realize your true self… you're already a great woman." She nodded to herself in agreement with her own interpretation.

"Now the future…" She flipped over the last two; 10 of Cups and the Strength card. "This first one represents: Lasting happiness and security, good reputation and honor, true friendship and happy family life. Perfect love and concord between people. The last one, the strength card, represents: Courage. Self-control. The virtue of Fortitude. The power of love… Wow, it looks like your future is going to be full of love powering you to be someone for others to admire… your presence of life is the same as Naruto's… perhaps even your lifespans are connected…" TenTen picked up the cards and placed them back in the deck and set them aside.

"So how old are you two?" TenTen asked, earning pale faces.

"Would you believe 12?" Naruto asked while scratching his head.

"No, no I wouldn't."

"Then I probably wouldn't ask then…" Before she had a moment to delve into the subject any more, there were a series of thumps from behind the wall, signaling the completion of the task requested of the craftsman.

"Well, here are the Hitai-ate plates. I can personalize the fabric part if you'd like." TenTen offered.

"Yeah, why not?" Naruto agreed. "Pick something that will suit our current clothing." She nodded and pulled out a series of fabric strips. She chose a long black strip for Naruto's and couldn't decide on Hinata's. She had a pretty lavender one that would go well, but it would get dirty very easily with training. As a result she just pulled out a shorter black one to match Naruto's. She fastened the rivets to secure the plates and handed them over.

"These are a really different symbol… Haven't I seen it somewhere before?" TenTen asked while looking at them clearly after they were fastened to their respective bodies. The symbol was like Konoha's usual symbol rotated 90 degrees to the right and had the outline of a flame surrounding it.

"I believe this symbol is the same as the one on the Will of Fire monument in the cemetery." Hinata recalled.

"That's right!" TenTen realized. "Are you guys a different type of ninja?"

"I guess you could say that." Naruto agreed. "We are definitely different…"

"Well, thank you for your business; is there anything else you need, like weapons or tools?"

"No I think we have everything… but… do you know of anyone who can teach kenjutsu? I'm just dying to learn how to properly use my blade." The hanyou revealed while tapping on the sheathed weapon.

"Really? Do you just use that little tanto?" She asked, seeing the small sheath on his waist.

"Actually I would need training on how to use any and every blade, maybe even other weapons other than bladed ones as well." She looked at him strangely until he griped the hilt and pulled it out of the sheath. Her eyes went wide when she saw a massively long and wide curved blade appear inch by inch out of the tiny sheath. Her eyes watered and shimmered in amazement, getting wider still when the blade shifted to a red colored metallic staff.

"Shape shifter…" She whispered dreamily, staring at the legendary treasure she had only read about in books. Suddenly there was banging and rattling behind the wall until a door slammed open, reveling a rather large guy with sweat dripping from his brow. His skin was tanned a darker shade from the raised heat of the forge and his once white apron was dirtied a grungy dark grey.

"Let me see the blade." He urged. Naruto didn't really think about it and handed it to the guy, causing the kitsune magic to release, revealing his fox ears. TenTen looked surprised while her father only raised an eyebrow and started inspecting the sword, specifically the hilt.

"Can you hear old man Muramasa?" He asked

"Muramasa? Who's that?" The blonde wondered. "Old man Hokage said that word too."

"The spirit which lies in the sword, the legendary sword maker, Muramasa, took his final master piece and sealed himself within it allowing any user worthy of the blade the ability to change it to whatever he desired. The only trouble with the blade is that Muramasa had a certain taste for weapons and would refuse to change into certain things unless it was to prove a point."

"So was Muramasa someone important?" Naruto asked, knowing that the guy was now most likely stuck inside a small cage and he started to feel bad for allowing his imprisonment.

"Are you kidding!? He's a legend, a god to us metal workers!"

"So… say a certain fox demon was to move in and lock the guy in a cage, hypothetically speaking, would that be bad?"

"You…? He's in here?" He asked skeptically, definitely losing TenTen in the conversation.

"Maybe?" Naruto shyly commented in a tone half questioning it. The man sighed and handed back the weapon.

"He may have been able to let us in on his forging techniques… but for a strictly useful weapon, this may be much more powerful… Take care of it." Naruto nodded and jammed the length of the weapon back into it the scabbard in one thrust.

"Know of anyone who can teach me?"

"Well, if that old letch Jiraiya was here, he knows a thing or four about kenjutsu." The craftsman revealed.

"Great, just one more thing we need to wait for him for. Thanks." Naruto took Hinata's hand and started for the door.

"Nice to meet you TenTen." Hinata called back before being pulled out of the shop.

"I guess we're on our own until Jiraiya gets here, would you like to go spar?" Naruto suggested.

"Sure, Naruto-kun." The two turned a corner and Hinata bumped into someone turning the same corner in the opposite direction.

"Sorry, Neji-nii-san." She apologized, and then took a look of the guy's face, which was beyond stunned.

"H… Hinata-sama?"

"Yes…" She chirped with a happy smile, one not out of being polite, but a true smile, making her almost squint from being so wide.

"Have they been removed?" She asked, referring to the seal.

"They have… I thank you both." For once in his life, he showed humility and bowed to the both of them before stepping into the weapons shop with his face still showing his disbelief.

"Hey Neji." TenTen greeted when she saw him. "What's wrong?"

"Uh… Hinata-sama… doesn't look like she's 12 anymore." TenTen gasped

"What! They _were _12!"

* * *

End Chapter 4

I have to say, I enjoyed writing this crazyish story... lots of things going on to confuse you, but then it all starts falling into place as you move along... great fun.

See you in a little while...

...Later


	5. Chapter 5

Long enough? Good. Lets get another chapter out...

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

The next day, Naruto and Hinata were back at a small training ground a few blocks from the local hot spring going through their ninja teachings from Academy. They were getting used to the new size and strength of their bodies and, Naruto especially, had a much better feel for the balance in the kunai and shuriken, able to land them perfectly on the target. Unfortunately his chakra control was still so sloppy that his attempts to do a simple bushin didn't end in proper results despite Hinata giving tips on his chakra use. The short version was that he just couldn't dial the power down enough to pull it off correctly. After giving up on that, they started practicing Taijutsu on the wooden logs set up.

The sun was beating down pretty hard for the time of year and it was getting quite warm out, especially if you were very active. Naruto had thrown off his jacket and was headed back to practice when he heard a rustling in the bushes on the outskirts of the training grounds. Hinata started to take off her jacket and the rustling turned into creepy giggles.

"That's right, just a little more… He, he, he, he, he"

"Hey what the hell are you staring at?" Naruto asked, his sudden appearance next to the guy spying on them caused the white haired man to jump to his feet and immediately start thinking up an excuse.

"I uh… was doing research. I'm a writer and I dropped my pen into these bushes and I was looking for it, that's all."

"Right, like I'm going to believe that. I know you were trying to catch a glimpse of Hinata taking her jacket off." Naruto deduced rather easily.

"H… How dare you speak to me like that? Don't you know who I am?"

"Nope, who are you?"

"Glad you asked! No woman can resist my charms… I'm the envy of all men, the great toad sage of Myoboku Mountain!"

"Actually you're a pervert… Ero-sennin!" Naruto corrected. The man quickly disappeared and reappeared next to Hinata with drool running down his chin and a perverted grin on his face.

"Hey there sexy, the name's Jiraiya… You can send the love letter later!" He reached down and gripped Hinata's hand and brought it up to his face, gently kissing her knuckles. Within a few milliseconds he felt and dark and ominous presence. From behind him. His head slowly ratcheted to the side to view a sight he didn't want to see. Naruto's face had dark whisker marks and was spilling over with huge levels of wasted chakra, seeping into the land and browning the grass. With each step he took, the ground shook under the might of his anger. Five tails swung behind him, cracking against the ground.

"Shit girl, we gotta run!" He shouted, thinking that the kyuubi had taken over the boy and was going on a rampage; he didn't even stop to think as to why the one who was supposed to be 12 looked fully grown, he was just thinking about saving his tail and regrouping, and of course what he could ask for in return for saving a damsel in distress. With his hold on Hinata's hand he tried to drag her away and she stood fast, unwavering even with the massive chakra closing in. Jiraiya then felt a pain on his wrist and looked down to see a clawed hand removing his from Hinata and a deep growling beside him.

**"Hinata is MINE!"** He growled. Jiraiya could hardly breathe with the weight of the air surrounding him, but the strangest part was that the girl seemed perfectly content and unhindered in the dense atmosphere.

"Naruto-kun… that is Jiraiya." Within nearly an instant all the chakra disappeared leaving the normal looking guy chuckling nervously.

"Uh, sorry… I just kind of go ballistic it someone does something to Hinata… Just a hanyou thing, I think." Jiraiya sighed and landed on his backside.

"And I thought the Kyuubi was loose… Damn, Minato left a crazy one… Wait Hanyou?"

"Yeah, didn't old man Hokage tell you everything?"

"Uh… well I dropped the mission scroll in the water while doing research… you can go retrieve it if you'd like… it's… over in the bath house."

"You little pervert." Naruto growled in disgust.

"NO! That's BIG pervert!" The sannin corrected with a huge smile.

"Figures… Was my dad influenced by you?"

"Unfortunately he was not; your mom had him by the balls."

"Could you, maybe tell me more about them?" Naruto asked, hoping to hear more about them.

"Not much to say, Minato was cool and collected, always calculating and Kushina was kind of a psycho… she scared me. Well, off to research!"

"Hey, who's going to train us?" The blonde called out to the retreating form.

"Well, you don't think I would?" He answered back, like it was obvious.

"If you would have read the scroll…" Naruto growled.

"Please?" Hinata requested. Jiraiya's grin grew again while looking at her hot body and quickly jogged backwards to her side.

"Well, I could give you something back to repay you for this view…" He heard a growl again and shrunk back. "Uh, how about tree walking…"

"Tree walking?" They both asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, you use chakra to walk up a tree. It's an exercise to tune your chakra control. Focusing chakra on the souls of your feet, you stick to the tree and walk up. Well, I guess I should demonstrate…" Jiraiya took off to the biggest tree in the training area and started to walk up it. Hinata watched for the first steps before activating her byakugan and watched the interaction of the chakra moving through his feet.

"And that's all there is too it… Make it to the top and you've mastered it." Jiraiya picked up his note book and then looked in a few random directions. He sniffed the air before grinning.

"Research waits for no one!" And took off in a cloud of dust. Seeing how they were alone once more, Naruto turned to the young woman with a smile.

"Well, should we give it a try Hinata?"

"Sure." They both walked up to the tree and Hinata activated her eyes again. She paid particular attention to the movement of chakra in her body and feet prior to starting her ascent. Carefully she took each step, sticking to the tree, varying her chakra until she got a feel for it and sped up her steps. She heard a crack and looked over to see Naruto doing a back flip to land on the ground after applying way too much chakra.

"Need any help Naruto-kun?" She asked sweetly from high up in the tree. She took a few steps down to get closer to him.

"No fair Hinata you cheated!" He protested.

"Nope, we're even we both have fox blood in our veins… In all definition of it we are both Hanyou."

"You're still a cheater." He smiled up at her, showing that he didn't actually believe what he said that time. She giggled and then blew him a kiss before swaying her way higher in the tree. She looked over her shoulder and wiggled her hips sexily rising the tension in the air. She looked at his hungry eyes and performed a 'come hither' movement with her fingers.

"Come get me…" She cooed softly.

A few long, teasing, hours later Naruto started getting close to the top where Hinata was sitting on a branch, dangling her feet in the air and calling out pointers for more or less chakra, giggling almost nonstop at his antics.

"You're almost here… I'll give you something special if you do…" She took her eyes off of him for a second and when she looked back; he was gone.

"And what's that?" He asked, his warm breath suddenly caressing her neck. She didn't even see him move and he was now behind her with his hands on her hips, brushing his lips across her skin. She started to giggle and pulled her feet up to the branch she was sitting on and flipped off of it, with her feet still attached to the large limb, flipping upside down and hung there, thanks to her chakra skills.

"That's mean…" Naruto jumped to the main trunk and started sliding down the trunk until he was at Hinata's eye level and applied just enough chakra to come to a stop directly in front of her, surprising her with a kiss.

"Yeah! Do something else! This is great stuff!" "Shouted a voice from below as he giggled and furiously took notes.

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto jumped from the tree and landed next to him, quickly followed by the lovely Hinata. The perverted sannin quickly stashed away his notebook and calmly coughed in his hand.

"Good news you two, I have decided to train you guys for a while. Pack up some things because tomorrow we've got a mission outside of the village. Plan for about a week… Maybe two if we get lucky… If you know what I mean." After informing them of their mission, Jiraiya ignored their reactions and started following a woman who had just passed by, all the while scribbling down some more notes and disappeared into the village streets, packed with people.

"Stupid old perv…" Naruto sat down at the base of the tree and rested his head on the trunk, closing his eyes.

"This tree walking stuff takes a lot out of you…" He commented with a slight grin, happy that he managed to figure it out in one day. His smile widened when he felt a light pressure on his shoulder and realized it was Hinata's head resting on him with her eyes closed.

"Did you know…?" She started in a low voice. "That I imagined sitting like this for about a year now?"

"Really? No, I never knew that. Back before all this stuff happened I thought you were really weird. I'd look at you and your eyes would just wander around like you were spaced out all the time. I actually started to wonder if there was something wrong with you. Your stuttering didn't help that either." Hinata sighed and a lone tear escaped her control, rolling down her cheek.

"If I hadn't been the one you bit at that time, would you have still thought that way?" She asked. There was apprehension in her voice showing that she both wanted to know the answer and not.

"Can't really say since it _was_ you. You are so gentle and kind and so good to me… I really don't want to think about 'what ifs.' Right now I'm happy being with you."

"Thank you…" She whispered, a wide smile now gracing her face. He still had his eyes closed, resting against the tree, so she felt it was a perfect time to sneak a long and gentle kiss.

"I think we are getting better at that too." The blonde muttered after separating from the woman's sensuous lips.

"I think so too." She replied before connecting with another. When they finally separated, Naruto looked at her pale skin.

"Did _you _know…?" He started, mimicking her initial sentence. "That before I thought you were weird, I actually thought you were the cutest girl in academy?"

"You're just saying that." She answered, feeling a blush heat up her face despite her words.

"No, I'm not; really. That winter when you started at the academy, you wore a purple scarf. As you unwrapped your cute face, I was just taken aback… Then… your eyes went weird and you passed out."

"That… well… I was surprised that you were in my class… and well… it was your fault." She had a cutesy pout of her lips, a look very enticing, almost begging to be kissed. Hinata tightly wrapped her arms around Naruto's head and ran her fingers through his blonde locks while keeping him in her lips reach. When she let him go, her whole face was pink and she quickly looked away and breathed hard.

"Well…" Naruto continued on a different topic seeing as how Hinata was temporarily incapacitated.

"Since we'll be leaving for a week or so, how about we clean up the apartments and move into the Hyuuga estate… it would be good for both side to get used to the new order of us."

"I… I suppose." She relented with a slight distaste for the situation. She had wanted to stay outside of the clan for just a little longer, but he was right… the Hyuuga definitely needed to get used to them being around.

"Well then, let's pack up and I guess we should get rid of all my old clothes while we're at it… Come to think about it; we should just dump my entire old apartment in the trash… there isn't anything of value in there."

Naruto stood up, brushing off his pants, and held out his hand to help Hinata up to her feet. He looked at her adoring face and gave her shoulders a squeeze before heading for his first apartment. They arrived there to find the door was busted in and the walls were spray painted with illegible remarks.

"Eh, screw it… let the land lord clean it up." He tossed the key carelessly inside the door and led a confused woman away from the building.

"Is that normal?" She asked after not seeing a look of surprise on his face.

"Every so often… Maybe twice a year or so."

"That's… that's bad."

"Well, maybe they will behave now that I look completely different. Hopefully they will forget about the little me and see me for who I am now." He smiled cheerfully and grabbed her hand without even thinking about his apartment even once.

"At least one good thing happened because of it…" She commented happily.

"Really? What's that?" He wondered.

"We have one less apartment to clean." He matched her grin shook his head.

"Well, let's clean the last one and crash the Hyuuga. It's about time we liven that place up." Hinata suddenly imagined Neji dressed in a bright orange robe and started laughing.

"Maybe we shouldn't liven it up too much…" She suggested between her fits of laughter.

* * *

Once they had everything packed up for the trip, they realized there really wasn't much left to clean up in the other small apartment. The large pack's weight revealed that most of it was now jammed inside. Knowing that they still needed a few other tools and supplies which weren't in that apartment, they decided to head to Hinata's room at the estate, where she had most of the necessities stashed away in the closet. Not wanting to make their arrival a big deal, they decided to sneak in through Hinata's window, which was left unlocked many times from her previous voyages out of the estate. After finishing their packing, they curled up together on her small bed for a quick rest, only to completely fall asleep.

Hinata woke early the next morning with the feeling that she was being watched; always a weird feeling when it happens in your own room. She opened her pale colored eyes and was almost startled when she saw another pair looking back at her. She let out a sigh and let herself sink back into the soft mattress and the warm body next to her.

"Is there something you want, Hanabi-chan?" She asked with her eyes almost fluttering shut again.

"Are you sure that's you?" She asked while still staring at her.

"Why, do I still look like a **_piggy_**?" She asked, almost snarling the last word, causing Hanabi to retreat from next to the bed.

"Y… You have never scared me before…" She whispered, very unsure of the strange power she was feeling, almost crawling on her skin.

"Because I've never wanted to… now leave me be, I've got a mission today." She closed her eyes and concentrated on the warmth of the man next to her with his arm draped lazily over her waist. When she heard the door shut she let out another breath and fell back to sleep.

* * *

About an hour later Naruto started to stir, signaling the end of their sleeping time. Once pulled from the cozy bed, they prepared for the day and grabbed their packs. With everything situated and accounted for, they set out for the village gates. They passed by a small park when a sudden commotion was heard. They paused at the shrieking sound and realized that it was the loud screeching of an animal crying out. The sound got louder as the creature approached and out from a grove of bushed sprung a small cat with a small bow tied around its neck. A small fraction of a second later, a frantically barking puppy chased right after it.

"Get em Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, while in pursuit of both of them. Moments later, Sakura and Shino passed by, trying to chase down their over anxious teammate; Sakura was of course irate and shouting obscenities.

"I hope our mission isn't like that one." Naruto commented, chuckling at how ridiculous it was.

"I don't know… I feel sorry for the kitty." Hinata replied after remembering the frightened look on the animal's face.

Soon they arrived at the gate of Konoha without Jiraiya anywhere in sight. They both sighed and slumped down to the ground, next to the wall, and waited. It wasn't all that surprising that he wasn't there since he never told them where to meet up previously, they had just figured that you'd meet up at the one place everyone would have to pass through. Once they were finally comfortable on the ground, out of nowhere they heard a man's hollering, which approached closer with every second. They turned to the sky and managed to witness a white, haired old man falling through the air towards the street they were on.

"Ahhhhhhhhh." With a loud crack, Jiraiya landed face first in the gravel. "Yowie!" He shouted before instantly jumping to his feet without as much as a scratch on his face.

"Whoo, now that was some good research!"

"Let me guess… peeping on the women's bath?" Naruto asked, noticing the less than favorable grin on the man's face while saying that.

"It's not peeping… its research." Jiraiya reminded him with a sage like look, waving his finger in the air.

"Um… research or not it is still peeping." Hinata assured, causing the sannin's shoulders to slump in defeat.

"Fine… be that way." He whined and shuffled away. This made her start giggling, raising the older man's spirits.

"OK, we'll be heading out now." He shouted, now back to his usual self.

* * *

After about a half hour of walking in complete silence, Naruto couldn't take it anymore and had to start a conversation.

"Hey Ero-sennin; where are we going?"

"West"

"What is our mission?"

"Research."

"No really…"

"Research… really." The blonde sighed angrily at the old man's vagueness.

"Could you at least teach us something? We are still genin and don't know many jutsu… I'm sure there's an awesome jutsu you could teach us!"

"Jutsu… I know many awesome ones, but you won't be learning them… You must learn to walk before you can run… or so that saying goes."

"Then what can you teach us?" Jiraiya reached into his pocket and pulled out a small scroll and tossed it to him. Naruto opened the small scroll and read the name.

"Kage bushin? I suck at clones."

"This one is quite different than the one taught in academy. Once you learn it, you will see just how different it is." Jiraiya promised.

"Well… just this once. If it doesn't end up being cool, I can't promise I'll listen to you ever again."

"Yeah, sure… get to it." Jiraiya then took out another scroll and tossed it to Hinata. When she opened it her face turned red and she threw the scroll back at the man, smacking in the back of the head. He picked up the scroll and opened it, grinning perversely.

"Whoops… that's my rough draft for an erotic manga." He tossed another scroll to her which was the actual scroll to teach her the kage bushin technique as well.

They read through the scroll numerous times, pondering the execution of the jutsu. It wasn't anything complex, just a simple hand sign, but the difficulty was in the 'imagination' of the technique. It required a certain concentration and focus to pull off correctly. Hinata was just about to get her head wrapped around the technique when she suddenly found herself surrounded by a field of clones, some high in trees, others up ahead of them or behind.

"This really is cool!" The Narutos chorused. Jiraiya was stopped in his tracks at the sheer number he produced on his first attempt, and how quickly he took to it... He was almost as bad as an Uchiha with that learning speed.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata muttered, stuck in her private word of never-ending blondes.

She then smiled and crossed her fingers. Instantly a quarter as many Hinata clones popped into existence, each of them grabbing a blonde clone. She then realized it was not a bright thing to do as the ones left out were now growling at the ones with her and touching 'their Hinata'. Eyes raged red and they all started attacking each other. Jiraiya 'hit the deck' and was hiding under a road side bush when he looked to his side and saw the other two doing the same.

"Uh… perhaps we shouldn't make my clones jealous?" Naruto pondered out loud while watching Hinata hold back a giggle. Moments later the frantic battle ended and the cloud of dust settled. When the three stepped onto the road, the entire area was devastated, trees were broken and smashed and the road was in shambles. In the midst of it all were one pair of clones, making out in the center of the torn up road.

"You guys know there's a way to cancel them, right?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto slapped his forehead, he had just forgotten in the middle of all the commotion, but so had Hinata. They both canceled the jutsu, then looked at each other. Hinata ran her fingers across her lips and was astonished.

"Figure out the difference?" Jiraiya asked, seeing the light of realization in their eyes.

"The clones are real." Naruto stated in disbelief at the destruction.

"Correct. The more chakra you put into it, the more clones you get. You should keep practicing it until you can make just one on command, then you will have a feeling of how many you're going to make. Now than, anything else unusual?" He asked, looking right at Hinata, since it seemed Naruto hadn't noticed yet.

"Memories… we get their memories." She whispered, half not believing what she experienced.

"Good… you're a bright one, girl."

"Huh, what do you mean?" Naruto asked, having yet to realize the implications of the ability.

"Naruto-kun, make a clone." He did as he was told, but ending up making five instead. "Now four of you cancel yourselves…" She ordered, so there would only be one. The clones looked at each other and popped away until just one remained. Hinata then created a single clone and had it stand next to Naruto's clone.

"Now you two go into the forest and do something and then cancel the jutsu after a minute." The two clones nodded in understanding and took off into the trees. A minute later, Hinata's face turned red and Naruto's face curved up into a Jiraiya like smile.

"P… perhaps we gave them too much time?" Naruto dumbly nodded, still looking directly at her chest. He fully understood the transfer of memories now, especially when he got the shock of the imagery of seeing his mate completely topless; that was one memory he wanted to burn into his mind.

"Alright, we will stop in the next town for some research!" Jiraiya announced, not knowing what they were sharing between them and headed back down the damaged road with the two quietly following, still not over the shock of what the clones did with each other and imagining recreating it in the near future.

* * *

Once in the next town, Jiraiya led the way towards the closest Inn and rented a cheap room for all three of them. There were two beds, but the thought of sharing the same bed in the same room as the perv didn't sit well with them. Of course they were totally against it until Jiraiya disappeared with his usual grin out into the night life, leaving them alone and without much of a choice. They were quite exhausted from the day of practicing Kage bushin and didn't feel like protesting it anymore and fell asleep the moment they hit the bed, tangled in each other's arms.

They woke the following morning to Jiraiya's snoring from the next bed over and moved to get up. Naruto's hand slid across Hinata's chest, making her screech and turn red. She jumped from the bed and quickly huddled in the corner of the room with her hands held tightly over her chest and panted.

"Hinata? What's wrong?" Naruto asked with a concerned look. There had been many encounters similar to that morning and Hinata had yet to react so strongly.

"N… nothing j… just stay away from me for a while." She closed her eyes and focused on slow deep breaths, trying to calm herself. He looked at her with worried eyes, but didn't try to pressure her since she seemed to be aware of her actions and tried to assure him.

She remained in that strange state for the entire morning, and even into the afternoon, much later than was expected. Eventually Jiraiya woke up and had wondered about what was wrong with her but he just figured it was a 'woman thing' and ignored it.

"What's next ero-sennin?" Naruto asked after the man made his way towards the door of the hotel room. He stopped and looked over his shoulder with a grin.

"The intel here is real good, we're going to stay another day." He moved towards the door again…

"Hold it!" The blonde ordered. If you're going off for the entire day for your research, then you can at least give me the basics of kenjutsu so I can train while you're gone." Jiraiya stopped and thought about it.

"You have any money?"

"I guess…" Naruto pulled out a simple money wallet and before he had the chance to look it over, it was in the sannin's greedy hands.

"Alright, follow me." The blonde cursed out loud and followed the sannin outside with Hinata still keeping her distance from behind. They soon were led just outside of the village into a large clearing. Hinata had stopped on the edge

"OK, there are two basic fighting stances, one handed and two handed. But they both have one thing in common, the actual strikes." He closed his hands and acted like he had a sword in his hands to demonstrate.

"You have the thrust and then the normal slash, which can be from any direction, so we practice in all of the six cardinal directions. The two sides, up and down and in from the four angles. Do all attacks in succession until you drop and maybe after a few days of doing that over and over, the blade will start to feel like an extension of your limbs. Just remember, don't worry about flashy spins or anything like that… it will only get you killed. Good luck." He hurried off back into the village before any objections came his way about lazy teachers. Naruto let out a groan and decided to give it a try anyways

"Do you want to try too, Hinata?" He asked, seeing her sitting quite a ways away.

"I'm fine Naruto-kun… I'll just sit here and watch." Naruto shrugged off her strange behavior before pulling out his sword, which was now just a short, jagged edged blade. He glanced back over at Hinata who seemed to not be feeling that well, having her head resting on her pulled up knees. Hoping she was alright, he set back into going through the basic sword motions again and again.

* * *

For the majority of the day, he kept up the tiring practice swings while the young woman stayed in the same strange position. He was really starting to worry about her and sheathed his sword when he couldn't take it anymore. He walked up beside her and knelt down, bringing his face closer to her.

"Hinata." She jerked up and was staring into his blue eyes. Her face started to heat up, along with her entire body, making her very uncomfortable. She squeaked loudly and scurried away from him.

"Ok, now I'm sure there is something wrong with you… Or is there something wrong with me?"

"N… no… there isn't anything wrong with you, I just… Can we go for ramen?" She asked suddenly changing the topic to something they both could enjoy. With a happy and energetic agreement from the blonde, they set out to find a local ramen stand. The choices and food quality in the small stand wasn't as good as Ichiraku's but it did the job of satisfying their hunger. Once they ate their fill, they headed back to the Inn for the night.

"Hinata… what are you doing over there?" He asked when he saw her unlocking the door for a room next to theirs.

"I… I'll be in here tonight." Without waiting for a response or acknowledgement, she slipped inside and shut the door.

Naruto was confused with her actions and entered his room and flopped on the bed. He stared at the ceiling, contemplating just what the issue was with hers until he heard Jiraiya stumble in, barely making it to the foot of the bed before he passed out in a drunken stupor. He shook his head at the older man and his carelessness and then turned back towards the ceiling. He could feel that he was beyond tired, but could only continue to stare at the ceiling; that was until he heard a strange moaning sound and muffled squeaks coming from nowhere. He took in a large breath of air when something animalistic took hold of him. His eyes flashed red for a moment and he instinctually stood up and snuck out of the door.

* * *

Morning was bright, annoying and taking place way too early. Naruto groaned at the beating his retinas took, even from the safety of his eye lids shielding them. He stretched out and noticed something soft, supple and smooth tangled with his legs and partially under his body. Feeling around the strange object, he came upon something large, round and incredibly soft. He slowly opened his eyes and his mouth stuck open in disbelief. Forcing himself to look away, he saw clothing strewn haphazardly around the room, which soon brought his attention back to the object… She was still asleep, lying on her back, in all her revealed glory. Their legs were wrapped around each other's and he had one hand lying on her glorious mound of flesh while the other mound closest to him was bared for him to see clearly.

His memories from the previous night was really foggy and couldn't remember for the life of him how he got into such a situation, although it wasn't a bad situation at all, just unexpected. He wanted to stay in that position forever, the warm soft skin under him, and the strange feeling of satisfaction while taking in her body. He let his mind wander on these topics until there was a abrupt movement next to him.

He heard a high pitched groan from next to him, flowing into a cute yawn. Her small hand lifted up, dragging across her skin up to where she felt rough knuckles where there clearly shouldn't have been any. She could feel the air directly against her skin and started turning a gorgeous pink shade when she realized she was in the nude, turning even darker when she realized she had a bed partner.

"Naruto-kun… Am I naked?" She asked without risking opening her eyes.

"A little bit… Do you know what happened?"

"I… I think we um… you know…" Soon images of the last night started coming back to her, the passion the animalistic urges, the breathing, panting, thrusting, moaning, and the… clawing…

"You remember?" He asked before rolling onto his back and cringing in pain. With the acknowledgement of the pain, came the actions of the night as well; Hinata screaming and scratching at his back wildly was a highlight in his mind.

"Since when were your fingernails so sharp?" He asked after a moment of silence. She shrieked from embarrassment, with him bringing that up, showing that he now remembered the actions as well.

"Are we… going to get up?" She asked.

"Uh… do we have to?"

"Yeah." She squeaked. Naruto pulled himself up out of bed and headed to the bathroom after picking up his clothes, leaving Hinata sprawled out on the bed with nothing but an embarrassed smile on. When he returned, he was disappointed to see her with a sheet wrapped around her body and clothes in hand for her turn. 45 minutes later they were both all freshened up, and the pair made their way to the other room just to see Jiraiya with blood shot eyes writing frantically in his notebook.

"What are you…?" Naruto wondered, followed by a quick reply.

"Three hours… three hours of moaning and screaming, just so much material!"

"Ero-sennin!" The perverted old man looked up just to see a small fist crack him right in the forehead, tossing him out the open window.

"Damn Hinata, you got one hell of a punch!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at her scarlet colored face. Ever since the bite Hinata had become more outgoing, but the core of her was still that shy little girl and her embarrassment could only be contained to a point. Previously that had ended in fainting, now it seems that with her activated hanyou blood, it was converted more to an expression of anger to avoid continued embarrassment.

"Uh…" Apparently even she was surprised at the explosion of anger and the force she hit him with. She looked at her fist and then back at Naruto. "Perhaps it is time to check out?"

"Yeah, that's probably good. You go drop off the keys and I'll pack up our things."

"Ok, but… Could I take Kurama with me, I want to ask him something."

"Uh, sure, I guess…" He tossed the weapon to her and she took off out of the room. She made it quite a ways down the hall before she paused and held up the sword so she could look at it.

"Um… Kurama-san…"

**"You're wondering about last night?"** The Kyuubi answered, already knowing what was weighing heavy on her mind.

"Y… yes… I uh… I don't care that it happened, but should I be… um… … …?"

**"I don't believe so… After such a transformation, I would say you'd have another 6 months before it would actually take. If you're not ready for a litter, you should find a medic ninja to seal that organ for now or just not do that."**

"Um… t… thank you… I guess… I'll find a medic… soon." The kyuubi snickered, causing the scarlet color to return to her cheeks. After tossing the keys onto the inn keeper's desk, she sank down into one of the soft waiting chairs with a sigh to wait. When she saw Naruto walk down the hall, she quickly tossed the sword back to him, so his unusual appearance wouldn't draw any attention. After taking her pack back from him, they left the inn to find their perverted sensei.

* * *

end of Chapter 5

I think I'll be able to get 2 more chapters out today, so once again, thanks for reading.

...Later


	6. Chapter 6

Well everyone, I will apologize for what I am going to do to you guys with alerts... I'm going to fill your inbox with the final chapters of this story. so there...

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Halfway through the village, they finally found the man stuck head first in a large shrub with his feet dangling in the air, sputtering nonsense. They pulled him upright and he had a grin even larger than the one earlier on his face.

"Bouncy, bouncy melons!" He muttered while randomly squeezing his hands out in front of him. Apparently, judging by the marks on his face, Hinata wasn't the only one who got in a good punch that day.

"Come on Ero-sennin, I'm sure there will be plenty of other hot women in the next town." Naruto coaxed. It was way too easy, now that he had found the man's weakness. Jiraiya immediately perked up and looked completely rested.

"To the next village! Onward!" He announced, marching off down the road, completely unfazed. The pair looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. With both of them wondering just how he survived this long; they hurriedly gave chase to keep up with the legendary perv.

* * *

Despite it being well into the fourth day of their mission, the pair hadn't yet learned what they were supposed to be accomplishing on their mission. It was just: travel to next town, train while Jiraiya entertained the ladies at night and then to the next town. At least on this particular day they had been following the bank of a winding river for a change of scenery. The whole idea of blindly following someone was starting to irritate them.

"What's the deal Ero-sennin? Where are we going?" Naruto asked, obviously irritated with the lack of things to do.

"We're going on a mission; I've already told you that."

"Gah… I know that." Jiraiya stopped and sat down on the bank where the river forked at the junction of a much smaller stream. He could tell that the anxious young man needed something to pass the time and decided to give the pair something else to think of for a while.

"This will be your next exercise… Water walking."

"What! Since when can we walk on water?" Naruto ask inquisitively.

"You have walked up a tree already; it shouldn't be that much of a stretch, especially with your imagination." Jiraiya then stood up and dashed across the smaller stream, clearly staying atop the water with little effort.

"It's all about the proper chakra control. Read the fluctuations in the water surface and adjust your chakra output." He shouted from the other side. They both nodded in understanding and set their first foot atop the water, expelling just enough chakra to feel that the water surface was dense enough to stand upon it.

Hinata then activated her byakugan and stood on top of the water, while Naruto's foot sank to the bottom. She giggled from her position on the water and gently walked across the stream with ease. Chakra control was something taught at a young age in the Hyuuga household. Although she hadn't done the tree walking or water walking, the concept was not at all unfamiliar to some of the Hyuuga techniques needed before starting to train in the gentle fist style.

"You're horrible Hinata!" Naruto shouted after her.

"No I'm not… you're just thinking too much." He sputtered a few choice words and then found himself standing on the water. She was actually right, when he concentrated on staying afloat, he sank; he just had to focus on the whole picture. He soon started laughing in joy and running up and down the water surface. He then paused with a look of thought.

He expelled over ten times the required amount of chakra and rose about 2 inches off the surface of the water. With a new grin of enjoyment, he stared skating on the surface of the water, gliding as though he was standing on air. He spun around a couple times before heading towards the bank where two surprised ninja were waiting for him. He hopped from the water to the bank, still expelling the large quantities of chakra and glided over the grass to them.

"That sucks down the chakra." He commented with just a hint of labored breathing while dropping back down, firmly on the grass..

"That's… that's amazing Naruto-kun."

"Well, you gotta come up with a few amazing things if you're going to be Hokage!" He declared triumphantly.

"Well then, Mr. Hokage… Shall we continue?" Jiraiya cursed himself for underestimating the ability of activated hanyou blood. The water walking should have at least taken up most of a day or at least a few hours, not a matter of a few minutes. The two were going to be passing the level of the sannin in less than a year at the rate they were going. He then hopped on top of the next river and ran across to the other bank, effectively crossing the entire river with the other two right behind him.

* * *

An hour after crossing, Jiraiya held up his hand and the three silently dashed behind a large rock for cover. The sannin peered around the stone and eyed a dark cavernous entrance. Soon a ninja popped up from the cave, seemingly on alert, and the white haired man ducked back behind the boulder before his cover was blown.

"It's time for the main mission." He whispered as to not be detected. "Up ahead is the hidden sound village. It was started a few years ago and we have gained irrefutable proof that the deserter Orochimaru started the village for the sole purpose of attacking Konoha in the near future. Our mission is to trap, capture, subdue or otherwise eliminate the whole of the village. There shouldn't be many ninja, according to my research, since the funding fell through and mostly all of the hired chuunin and jonin have evacuated. We will be dealing with many genin and maybe one or two higher level ninja. We will be going with the 'shock and awe' tactic, this is where we invade with overwhelming force, resulting in complete surrender."

"But we don't have overwhelming force." Hinata reminded.

"Right you are, but if you both dash in with clones, it will shock them, and then I will arrive for the awe factor!"

"You're not _that _special Ero-sennin." Naruto reminded, still at a loss for how the sannin was so full of himself.

"Are you kidding? Women fall for me like sakura blossoms in spring!"

"Yeah, sure… are we going to do this or what?" Naruto looked at Hinata and smirked.

"You want to see who can take out the most?" She smiled and nodded. She thought that making it a game would be much easier to deal with than actually thinking about causing harm to many others.

"At the count of 3" Jiraiya announced. "… 1… 3!" A huge mass of blonde, orange and dark blue, lavender blasted their way through the front entrance. The one person on guard was overwhelmed instantly by the stampeding ninja horde. The halls of the underground village were packed with ninja clones on their way to the center of the hideout, taking down each ninja they found with relative ease.

By the time they reached the main location, they had only lost 20 clones, mostly from being trampled asunder by the mass of other clones. Fights were currently underway out in all corners of the village simultaneously. With as many ninja clones about, the enemy only had to toss a kunai and it was sure to strike a patch of orange, but despite all the positive strikes, the sound genin were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of ninja and were quickly overrun.

"Behold, it is I… the great Jiraiya-sama!" The man shouted as he appeared in the middle of the village atop a human sized toad. His grin drooped into a frown after sizing up the enemies.

"Hey! There's no one left to awe me!" He scolded the pair with a downtrodden look.

The couple were busy comparing their combined clone knowledge to declare a winner in the fight. Hinata had managed the most successful subjugation of the enemy with her gentle fist taking down a ratio of about 2:1 against the sound ninja. Naruto had taken down a higher numerical value of ninja than she did, but he outnumbered them 4:1 which put him in last place, according to her. After declaring Hinata the winner, since Naruto felt it fair to do so, and would really like a repeat of that other night, the pair finished tying up the remaining unconscious ninja and tossed them to the ground. About 50 in all were now captured and sitting in a group.

"How's that ero-sennin?" Naruto asked, ignoring the man's continued frown.

"Uh, well… good job… I guess." He turned and walked away, then noticed a coil of rope on the ground, sliced cleanly in half…

"One managed to escape in the confusion… I don't think this is completely over yet…" He whispered to himself. The strangest part was that he didn't even notice the person, meaning that he had to have been close to jonin level. Before he could ponder the situation any further, a group of masked ninja appeared in the center of the village and started to gather the enemy together.

"Ah, right on time." Jiraiya greeted. "They are all packaged up… they only need a bow but we just didn't have the time."

"Understood Jiraiya-sama. We will assume responsibility of their transfer." Voiced the lead Anbu.

"Very good… Ok you two, we're heading back!"

"Huh? Really? If those were our ninja, why didn't they attack them instead of us?" Naruto asked, not sure why they were there in the first place.

"They were back up. It is very rare on missions like these to arrive without at least one back up team. Usually one would carry out the attack and the other would deal with the prisoners… Divide and Conquer!"

"Oh, I get it." He fell back next to Hinata and put his arm around the girl's shoulders.

"You were great." He told her with a squeeze.

"You too." She replied and put an arm around his waist so she could be just that extra bit closer.

"Ok, time for a rest at the hot springs!" Jiraiya shouted and increased the pace towards the closest village with a hot spring resort. The pair knew full well why he insisted on visiting the hot spring, but the idea of getting a nice hot, rustic bath was very enticing.

* * *

Somehow, after all the events, the couple didn't exactly know how they ended up where they were. After Jiraiya brought them to the village, he took off into the hot spring with his notebook in hand and a set of binoculars. It only took about 20 minutes before they heard a woman's scream and saw the old perv hightailing it away from the place with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Upon entering the bath after the uproar, the guy at the front desk directed them to their current location; in front of a sign with 'Coed' written upon it.

They both had blushes on their cheeks, seeing as how this would be the first time they were fully concious of their actions. Simultaneously they entered the changing room, happy to see that there were individualized rooms so they could opt to ease into the situation. Alone in their respective rooms, the two prepared for a soak in the hot spring and exited with towels wrapped around them and met.

"Ready?" Naruto led the way until he heard a gasp from behind him. He stopped and looked at her quizzically.

"Your back…" She whispered. She never managed to see the damage she caused to his skin back at the inn since she held her eyes tight. She couldn't believe just how deep the scratches were and worse was that they weren't healing very fast either.

"Oh, well I wasn't going to worry about them." He revealed, not really taking notice of the injury. She shook her head before running back to her clothing and came back with a small jar of healing ointment and motioned him to sit.

"This might sting a bit." She warned. Dipping her fingers into the cream to cover her digits, she then applied it to one of the deepest scratches. A trickle of smoke followed her fingers, instantly sealing up the wound.

"Wow…" She breathed while applying it to the rest. She rubbed it in all over his back, healing every little scratch on the surface and giving him a soothing back rub at the same time. With one last deep rub of his shoulders, she stood and sauntered towards the steaming water. Looking back, she smiled and held out her hand, motioning him to come with her.

He grabbed her hand, helping her into the water where she started to look flushed already. She grabbed her towel and pulled it from her body, tossing it to the stone surface around the water. Sinking into the soothing water with a sigh, she then found herself turning sooner than originally anticipated and caught a perfect frontal view of her partner, making her face redden even darker and glance away.

"See something you like?" He teasingly asked after seeing her shy grin.

"Maybe… and you?"

"Eh, not really…" Her face jerked around and locked eyes with him. Of course this was his plan all along.

"I saw something and someone I love." He told her quietly. He chuckled lightly at the dreamy look on her face before leaning in and kissing her deeply. This was the first time Hinata had heard him say that he loved her. She could feel his love and see it in his eyes when he looked at her, but hearing it loud and clear helped to make the love they shared a reality

"I can definitely get used to being able to see you like this." He commented while pulling back from her and staring at the distorted view in the clear water.

"Quiet, you're embarrassing me… Besides… there are other people here." Naruto looked to the side and saw a few other older couples looking at them; some with gentle smiles and others covering their partner's eyes.

"Oh… Hello." He waved sheepishly. With this new found information, he led her into an out of the way cove for a little more privacy since there was no telling when he might get jealous of someone looking at his woman. The hot soothing waters rejuvenated their bodies and relaxed their muscles. They silently soaked in the water, lightly touching their hands together until the heat started to wear on them. They moved back to the edge of the water and reached for their towels. With the towels now back around their bodies, they stepped back into their respective rooms to change back into their street clothes.

When the two met up again, they immediately held hands and walked out of the hot spring bath close to each other. The time spent with each other in the bath loosened their reservations with each other's bodies, gaining a much closer attraction and ended up being more comfortable with each other's natural state.

Once they arrived at the nearby inn, they witness a poor sight. Jiraiya was pouting about losing his research to that terror who chased him from the hot springs with a quivering lower lip. Although what would you expect when a guy looking like he was prepared for major bird watching expedition walked directly into the women's side of the bath wearing only a towel?

"Ero-sennin, we're going to turn in…"

"Heartless kids." He muttered, thinking about how nice it was back when he was younger and chasing the really hot ones, then came a thought of the one who he never could get, but just the thought of her massive rack made him drool.

"I wonder… maybe these kids would like to take that side mission now… We are kind of close to where she had been spotted…" His pervert grin spread across his face.

"Oh yeah… I'll make them beg me to take them with!" He took off back into the village, with reckless abandon, to rekindle his research with thoughts of a large breasted blonde on his mind.

* * *

Morning arrived and when the pair awoke, they nearly jumped out of their bed since Jiraiya was staring at them with an excited smile. They looked at their appearance and didn't notice anything noteworthy of the sannin's attention and wondered what had gotten into the crazy old man

"You guys up? We've got another mission." He told them, obviously as anxious as a kid waiting to open a gift.

"What? Another one? Is that why you're so giddy?" Naruto asked, knowing the old man too well at this point.

"What me? Nonsense; I'm just looking forward to updating the research that started it all!"

"Whatever… can you at least teach us some things? Not like it hasn't been an interesting time, but I have this feeling that we should be training more. That bastard Sasuke is probably training his ass off with his private teacher, so I can't slack off even though I'm the nine tailed hanyou."

"Sure thing, I've got just the jutsu for you, but it's your girl there that is giving me difficulty. I have no idea how to improve the Hyuuga way of fighting, so… I think she may have to create her own personal take on the Hyuuga style. Yeah; that will work. Alright, let's go and I'll fill you in on what I just thought up." They walked silently out of the village, about half an hour passed when the old man finally stopped.

"Ok, first is Naruto." He tossed a small water balloon towards him, following with the explanation. "Here is where it gets fun, you need to pop the water balloon with nothing but chakra."

"Is that even possible?" He smiled at the young man and took out another one and held it in his hand. The water rotated chaotically until the balloon burst into shreds, proving the point.

"See, just like that. You can practice as you walk. Now for the hottie, you have more than doubled your chakra from when you were in your younger body, so you should be able to expel much more chakra in your strikes. If you get the right balance, you should be able to cause physical damage to your opponent as well as wide spread internal damage. You wouldn't even have to hit a tenketsu directly to affect it. So what I want you to do is practice forming a ton chakra around your hands. Sometimes it is even helpful to imagine it taking a shape. I bet once you figure it out, it will help you greatly."

"OK, I'll try my best." She immediately focused huge amounts of chakra into her hand and was surprised at just how much concentration and effort it took to cover only half of her hand in a thin sheen of visible chakra instead of just expelling chakra from a certain point. It really seemed wasteful, but with her increased chakra capacity, it may just give her that edge over the usual gentle fist.

* * *

With their new training regimen, the pair continued on their journey, concentrating their chakra to their hands. When they neared a village, Jiraiya left to research a few quick items and let them practice in the open field. Naruto only managed to get the balloon to form a thin disk and Hinata had the opposite problem with chaotic chakra coursing around her fists.

"Ah this is retarded!" Naruto shouted, tossing the balloon to the side. He threw himself backwards onto the grass and stared up at the clouds.

"I don't see the point to this!"

**"I think I know the technique, when you complete it, it will be a very formidable force, maybe even the strongest force in the world, you should stick with it."**

"Really? I didn't know Ero-sennin had that kind of a technique."

**"He doesn't but with what he is teaching you, I'll be able to help you take it to the next level."**

"You mean demon techniques? That sounds interesting… How are you coming along, Hinata?"

"I'm making progress…" She panted.

"Well then, I'll get back to it." He took a glance back at Hinata and noticed something strange in her chakra, it swirled in a strange chaotic way, exploding outward from her hands, giving him an idea to finish his own jutsu.

* * *

"Nothing but old people here… er I mean my sources say we should go to the next village." Jiraiya announced while walking up to the pair. The two ignored him and continued their training.

"I think I…" Suddenly water flew out from the shattered balloon splashing over all three, knocking the pair from their concentration and actually noticing the sannin.

"Not bad…" The old ninja then took out a rubber ball and tossed it to him. "Next will be to use the same technique from the water balloon and try to get the ball to explode. It is many times harder to accomplish this than the balloon… Well let's get rolling." The three headed off once more in the direction of the next town, continually training while they walked.

* * *

Upon entering the subsequent village, the training couple was exhausted and didn't want to think about anything other than sleep, well, maybe finding a much needed meal and then sleep. They were making good progress in their respective jutsu, but weren't making it to the next moment of realization. That night when Jiraiya returned from his late research, he almost laughed when he saw the two sleeping. They were still wearing their full clothing and shoes and Hinata was lying across the torso of her mate. They almost appeared that they fell asleep while standing up and just fell there. He chuckled quietly and crawled into his own bed just as the sun was peaking over the trees.

Hinata woke with sore and aching muscles. Some were caused by her training, but most were from the awkward way she slept through the night. She dragged herself up and sleepily wandered into the bathroom to get freshened up for the day to come. She returned, slightly irritated, when she saw just how chipper her boyfriend was that morning.

"Hey Hinata!" He greeted. It seemed like no matter his level of fatigue, he'd be reset and ready to go the next day. She didn't know if it was his new hanyou blood that caused that or if it was just a Naruto thing… After thinking about that for all of one second, she decided it was the latter.

"Good morning Naruto-kun." She greeted with a yawn. She was never really a morning person and now their training was making it worse. She rubbed her eyes and yawned once more in a last ditch attempt to awaken further, which came to no avail.

"Is Ero-sennin awake yet?" She asked, now getting used to calling the man by Naruto's nickname.

"I don't think so… You want to get some breakfast before he does?"

"Sure, Naruto-kun…" This morning she just couldn't get to her usual alertness and decided she needed chemical help.

"…and maybe some coffee…" She added as they slipped out the door

After breakfast the couple met back up with Jiraiya and set off for the next village in their undetermined direction. They set back into training their individual justu, Naruto making further progress while Hinata was still struggling at the same spot as before. She couldn't get the desired effect and was starting to get frustrated, and the lack of proper sleep wasn't helping her any.

"Hinata, could you look at my justu and see what I'm going wrong?" Naruto asked after yet again only puncturing the ball.

"I can't even figure out mine! How am I supposed to figure out yours too?!" She suddenly shouted, catching the guys in the group by surprise. They had yet to hear the gentle and reserved girl yell like that and it was completely unexpected.

"Um... sorry." She apologized, after realizing her outburst. "I'm just tired and irritable."

"Don't be sorry, emotions are there to be expressed. If you don't yell at us, how are we supposed to know that you're frustrated or angry?" Naruto informed, not taking her verbal abuse to heart.

"Yeah… sorry." She apologized again, causing the blonde to shake his head.

"How about I help you out with your jutsu then?" Her downcast face then brightened. She had been feeling ignored with all the training and was happy to have his full attention once more.

"Sure!" She chirped happily.

Naruto started out by having her show him what she was attempting. She channeled her chakra around her hands and the energy was ferociously interacting with itself, causing wisps of chakra to escape from her without staying around to be used.

"Every time I start adding more chakra, it just escapes and goes to waste." She explained with the demonstration

"What are you thinking about when you attempt this?" He asked, remembering that many justu required a certain visualization.

"Um… nothing, just to add more chakra and make it powerful."

"Well, since you're really good with chakra control, why don't you try purposefully giving your chakra a form? The one I'm doing seems to like being a sphere, so you should try and see what shape yours wants to be. Once it takes shape you can add power… to it… until… … … That's it!" He beamed with his new take on the justu… he was using too little chakra and could never cause the ball to explode. He quickly grabbed the ball and in only a few seconds, the ball was shredded, sending pieces flying in every direction.

"Ha, ha I got it Hinata!" He shouted and then grabbed her in a strong hug, twirling her around in happiness. He set her down and surprised her with a quick kiss. She took a step back in her surprise, yet had a matching smile.

"Good for you Naruto-kun…"

"So try that with yours Hinata. Focus on giving it a shape and then add power."

"I… I'll try." She focused herself back to her hands just as Jiraiya stopped by due to the loud outburst.

"Shows not quite over lover boy." Jiraiya interrupted. He took out another balloon and filled it with air this time. He set it in the palm of his hand and it remained motionless.

"What's that ero-sennin?" He asked, seeing nothing change.

"The last step is to contain it. Generate the spinning from the water balloon, add the power to explode the ball and then contain it in a hard chakra shell that won't burst this balloon. Then you will have…" He added just a little more chakra for the ball to gain size, just enough to shred the yellow balloon, revealing the bright blue spiraling sphere.

"A finished jutsu."

"Whoa… that is something." He muttered while the light from the ball glittered in his eyes.

"Sure is, now get back to it… How's yours going girl?"

"Getting there, I'm going to try some of Naruto's hints and see what I come up with." She replied though a few grunts of concentration.

"Good, then off we go!"

The trio walked down the road, focusing on bringing the next step of their training in to reality. The sun was staring to set right as the next village came into view, marking the end of yet another day. The village was strange when compared to the previous ones, this particular one was bright and glittery in the darkness of impending night and seemed to get even livelier as it got darker, the total opposite from other villages.

"This is a little bit of a shady town, so just be prepared." Jiraiya announced while walking strait towards a bar. They all stepped into the establishment with the sannin taking the lead.

"Table for three." He announced happily while surveying the seating arrangements until he coincidentally caught a glimpse of the very person he was looking for. "Actually, scratch that, we'll just sit with an old friend of mine." He sauntered trough the noisy bar and slipped into a seat next to a woman with dark short hair, holding a strange pig in her arms.

"So; what's happening?" He asked with his usual grin which went with a pickup line. The person across from him looked up with her large chestnut colored eyes and swirled a cup of saké in her hands. She tossed back her long blonde hair and sneered at him before swallowing the liquid in one gulp.

"Jiraiya, what are you doing here?" She asked, soon noticing the two who followed him and were sitting in a couple chairs at the end of the table, sipping on the glasses of water set in front of them. "And what are you doing with that pair? They're not some random couple for your research are they?"

"These are my new students for a while, and as for the reason I am here… well Hiruzen told me to find you, Tsunade. His request is that you become Godaime Hokage." Naruto spat out the water he was drinking in disbelief.

"What!? This lady? The Hokage?"

"Don't worry brat, I have no intention of becoming Hokage – it's a shit job taken on by even shittier people." He looked in her eyes for any possible lie in her words, and when he determined she actually meant what she said, the blonde's eyes flashed red and he overturned the table in a fit of rage.

"Screw you! I don't care if you are a woman; anyone who insults the title of Hokage like that should be taken down a peg or two."

"Heh, if you want to shorten your life like that, let's go outside." The large breasted woman stood to wobbly feet and clumsily headed for the exit.

"Fine by me!" His anger had him nearly blinded since he couldn't hear his girl next to him telling him to calm down. Nonetheless, they were now standing outside, in the street, facing off.

"It'll take, one, maybe two seconds to put you in your place." She promised with a smirk, irritating the hanyou.

"Up yours!" He charged in recklessly with a fist cocked back, thrusting it towards her face, only to find it was stopped definitively with but a single finger. She prepared her other hand to flick him in the forehead when she noticed the strange markings on his hitai-ate.

"You're not Konoha shinobi, why do you care about who bad mouths the Hokage?" For some reason she found herself intrigued by the new symbol.

"If you're really a leaf sannin, then you should recognize this symbol. Our allegiance isn't to the Hokage of our village but to the wellness of the village itself. If we feel the Hokage is unjust, we can disobey his orders… We hold our allegiance to the Will of Fire." Her eyes grew in recognition of the symbol and to the fact that they existed outside of the usual ninja system, something no one was ever allowed to do, except for the sannin. To be granted something like that, the two of them had to be something special.

"And you ask why I take it personally when you bad mouth the Hokage? Because like my mother and father before me; becoming Hokage is my dream!" Tsunade took a step back in shock. The young man standing before her had an unwavering determination like that of her past memories of a pair rumored to usher in a new era of ninja, but something else besides that memory was weighting on her mind… just who is this young guy.

He stood in front of her holding his hand out, concentrating on the center and pulling in large amounts of chakra to swirl in his hand. She gasped as the guy thrust his arm at her with the chakra held within. She quickly dodged to the side, pushing his hand into the earth next to her, sighing when the ground just cracked a tiny bit.

"Jiraiya! Why are you teaching this kid the Rasengan!?" She demanded. "You can't just go and teach some kid the Yondaime's personal jutsu.

"Eh? That's an easy one… " Jiraiya explained. "It was his father's wish to pass on his jutsu to his son. Was it not?"

"What? No it can't… he should be only 12." She whispered, and then shook her head from the thought.

"That jutsu is far from complete anyways, just how long has he been practicing?"

"This is the end of the third day." He told her, clearly surprising her.

"What!? Well, I'll tell you what. If you can complete that jutsu in one week, then I'll give you my necklace."

"So, this was my father's jutsu…" Naruto's face took a sudden look of seriousness. He held out his open hand and looked at his palm. He thought about all the things he went through without parents, the love he missed out on, the family he could have had. All that was really let of his parents is him, and now Minato's jutsu.

"I promise you… I don't need your week, or your necklace. I promise you that I will complete my father's jutsu right now." His palm was suddenly shrouded in his chakra and gathered to one point, tumbling and swirling within the chakra shell, holding and amplifying its power. He held the completed ball out in front of him for all to see, surprising even his sensei with the extraordinarily fast mastery of the technique.

"So… you are him; you're Naruto?" Tsunade started to have tears in her eyes. The look of the blonde with a rasengan in hand brought her back once more to the times before the event over 12 years ago took place. Back in a time where she was still hanging around Konoha and before her beloved passed away. A time when even she believed in the Will of Fire. She stepped in front of Naruto and embraced his form, letting her tears fall onto his shoulders. She could feel the breeze in the air, the same one, the same feeling she had that night when she had that winning streak. At that very moment, she knew where her place in the world was.

"Fine… I'll be Hokage as long as you promise to take the role from me when the time is right." The rasengan disappeared from his hand and rested on her back.

"Yeah, I promise…"

"Ahem…" Coughed a sweet voice, interrupting their embrace. He looked over with his blue eyes and saw Hinata, with her arms crossed in front of her, tapping her foot with a disgruntled look.

"Come on Hinata, you can't be upset with me getting a hug from a baa-chan!"

"Who're you calling old?" Seethed the woman who was just hugging him, slowly constricting her arms around his body.

"She doesn't look that much older than we do." Hinata reminded, causing Tsunade to smile and drop her prey on the ground.

"I like you… You're a Hyuuga right?" Hinata nodded. "Interesting… what is a Hyuuga doing out here with a pervert and this moron?"

"That _moron_ is mine, so I suggest you take your name calling elsewhere baa-chan." The complete 180 of Hinata's attitude surprised Tsunade, mostly with the fact that she said her mind without the endless drivel which was usually spouted by their clan.

"You little…" She wanted so much to be angry at the young woman, especially since she was Hyuuga, but her cute little smile she held while saying that was too much to overlook and she just couldn't do it.

"So you're an item… Fine, but you should really call me Hokage-sama." She stated while looking away while crossing her arms.

"Ok… sure, it's all settled then… Now let's go back in for a drink." Jiraiya offered, hoping to keep things settled in that manner.

"You're buying you letch." She reminded and stepped back into the bar to drink the night away.

"You know she's like 50." Naruto argued to his little Hyuuga, still pleading his case to her.

"True, but would you like me to go and hug Ero-sennin?" His mouth dropped… Looks like it was another win for Hinata… She triumphantly took his hand and pulled him next to her as they entered the bar behind the two sannin.

* * *

Chapter 6 end


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

On the following day, the five were headed back to Konoha. The young couple were back to practicing their jutsu. Strange as it was, Naruto couldn't produce a completed Rasengan on call despite his display last night, and had to continue his training. Hinata's was still progressing, albeit slowly. She would try to get her chakra to take on a random form, but it just refused, at the very least she was ruling out shapes that it wouldn't take. All of this took time and when they looked up it was about noon, according to the position of the sun in the sky. Naruto then abruptly stopped, catching everyone's attention.

"I hear something…" He whispered. He hadn't yet gotten a grasp on his increased senses, yet when there was danger around, it would immediately appear, like it was an instinctual awareness. The two sannin started laughing when a small white rabbit jumped out of the bushes; that was until it spit up blood and collapsed in their path.

"Not bad…" Called out a guy's voice. They looked up to see a silvery haired man, wearing a Konoha hitai-ate. "My name is Kabuto and I'm here to get revenge for the death of my master, Orochimaru."

"Yeah, I heard he was brutally killed, but you've got the wrong guys." Jiraiya informed, waving off the man like he was a pest.

"No, I'm sure I have the right one." He replied while staring directly at Naruto.

"Are you kidding!?" Tsunade shouted. She knew exactly how strong Orochimaru was before he deserted the village and even if he didn't get any stronger, she felt that there was no way he could have defeated him. She looked over to the young orange clad ninja and saw him nervously scratching his head.

"Oh, you're pissed about that? Well, let's say I wasn't thinking correctly… uh… sorry?"

"Just as I suspected, it was you Naruto-kun… I take it you let the kyuubi come out to play." Kabuto asked, hoping to confirm his theory.

"Nah, it was something different. Anyways, since I apologized, let's just head back to Konoha, no hard feelings, right?"

"Yeah, sure that sounds good, you're all forgiven… As if!" Kabuto took out a vial and smeared a red liquid on his hand before going through a set of hand seals. He then thrust his hands to the ground, applying chakra to the technique.

"Kuchiose no jutsu." A large purple snake appeared in a puff of smoke and licked at the air.

"Where's Orochimaru!" He demanded while staring at Kabuto.

"He has been killed. After you exact revenge on the one in orange, I shall give you 100 sacrifices as well as myself for compensation." The large snake pondered it for a minute. Soon his scaly skin looked as though it was smiling.

"Agreed."

"Oh crap." Jiraiya cursed, seeing as how the snake was listening to someone without a contract. He was about to do his own summoning when he realized they took their attention off of Kabuto in favor of the summons and the guy managed to sneak up behind the one person he was not even remotely afraid of, Hinata. He wrapped one arm under her elbow and leveraged her arm into the air with his hand on the back of her neck. He took his other free hand and held a kunai firmly to her throat.

"Looks to me like you have two choices: fight and let this girl die, or give up and you all die. It isn't all that difficult; no matter which way it goes… she dies."

"Fuck!" Jiraiya cursed, just his luck… That guy had to go after her. He cowered face down on the ground and put his hands over his eyes. Kabuto smirked at the man's willing defeat and Tsunade was about to kick him for his cowardice when they all felt a sudden shockwave of chakra cast down upon them.

"There are three things you should know before you die:" Growled a low voice from the usually smiling blonde. His eyes were void of any color other than blood red. The dark slit in his eyes looked as though they could suck you down to the fiery depths of hell with just on glance. His accentuated whisker marks spoke volumes of the feral ferocity coming to the surface. He took one step towards Kabuto, the ground cracking in protest to his powerful step.

"1: Never threaten my friends." He took another step, earning a sudden shiver from Kabuto, causing his grip on Hinata to loosen slightly.

"2: Never threaten my village." Reaching to his side, Naruto grabbed hold of the kitsune sword, gripping it tightly. In one smooth motion a large blood red blade was removed from the scabbard. It had a sweeping curve to the blade and at its widest it was about 5 inches. Its dull red blade eerily didn't give off even the slighted sheen; it almost looked as to absorb light itself.

**"3: NEVER TOUCH ****_MY _****HINATA!"** Nine chakra tails erupted outward from his backside with the sudden slash of the blade. The ferocity and pressure from the chakra being released caused even Tsunade to feel weak in the knees. She fell to one knee with labored breathing, panting for air in the dense atmosphere. She looked to her side and saw Shizune passed out on the ground with TonTon. Struggling against the weight, she forced her head to turn back to Kabuto where she saw Hinata's fists spillover with a massive amount of chakra flowing outward, forming around her hands in the most unforgettable face in all of her memories… the kyuubi.

When the girl twirled away from his loosened grip and angled a punch at Kabuto's midsection, a sharp, thin shockwave blasted outward from her, sending the guy flailing backwards, crashing through some trees and sliding to the ground in such a way that it was obvious that his back was broken in more than one location. Tsunade glanced towards the nine tailed hanyou, seeing his chakra ears, tail and sharpened claws in all their unbridled glory. The dark red sword sliced effortlessly through the tail of the snake, embedding the blade into the ground and tearing through the earth, tearing up the ground 100 feet away.

Naruto raised his hands together and pointed his palms towards the attacking snake. The reptile was preparing to swallow him whole after the sword missed its target, when a ball of the deepest, blackest chakra formed in front of his hands, intensifying and condensing to the point that it was starting to bend light itself. The ball exploded outward, sending the dark chakra straight through the attacking snake, removing it from existence in but an instant.

Tsunade felt her other leg give way, causing her to fall to her hands and knees. She saw Hinata moving, without the slightest effort in the dense air, towards the frightening demon. She wanted to shout out for her to stay away from it, but couldn't gather the voice. She cringed for Hinata when she was noticed and expected to witness the worst, but more surprising was when they embraced each other and shared a kiss.

There was a sudden breeze across her brow, adorned with the emerald diamond, and she fell forward, gasping for air as the atmosphere returned to normal. She didn't know what to think of what she witnessed there. Even the sannin, who stood up to the kyuubi when it attacked in the past, couldn't even manage to stand in the presence of this more potent chakra. Just as impressive as that chakra was, she was further intrigued how that little Hyuuga woman could move freely in it with no worries.

"Hokage-sama." Tsunade took a deep breath and looked up at the pale eyed woman now standing in front of her.

"Naruto-kun broke his arm with that last attack, could you help him?" The busty blonde struggled to stand and slowly made her way towards the young man. She didn't even flinch at the blood covering his arm. After that frightening display, there was no way her greatest fear could be of such insignificance as just blood.

"Is he…" Tsunade asked, not sure of Naruto's state of mind.

"He's fine. He just gets enraged when his bond with me is threatened." Tsunade sighed and started her medical jutsu.

"What's your bond?" She inquired while continuing her healing.

"Hanyou have no stronger bond than that of their mate." She expressed happily

"Hanyou? You mean he combined with the kyuubi?"

"It was something artificially done to him and moments after it happened, he chose me as his mate."

"Interesting, but wouldn't a demonic bond require a part of you having demon blood?"

"True… the byakugan is a manifestation from demon blood mixing with the ancestor we share with the Uchiha."

"Wait, so the Hyuuga are technically hanyou?" The medic asked, not sure of what to think about the sudden influx of information.

"More human than demon but yeah, we are still… well half breeds or 'mutts' from a classical view."

"Weird… the things even the sannin are unaware of…" Tsunade finished her jutsu and couldn't help but admire the blonde. She stood and headed back to wake up Shizune when she heard a loud slap… it would seem that Jiraiya already woke her up, but in a more perverted approach.

"One more thing…" Hinata called out, causing the medic to turn to her. The girl was now fiddling with her fingers and had a deep red color on her cheeks.

"Yes?"

"Could you… um… I want to…" She looked over at her mate on the ground and blushed ever more.

"You want that!? How old _are_ you?"

"Um… I'm 12 but the active hanyou blood in both of us accelerated out maturing process and I… well…"

"You get urges?"

"More than that, I… uh… like… go into heat and can't control the desire. We've already…Well…"

"Fine, no need to embarrass yourself any further. I really don't understand this hanyou business, though."

"Best way I could put it is like this:" She fished a small card from her pocket and handed it to the new Hokage. She looked at the picture and back to the woman in front of her.

"That is my academy ID… That was what I looked like just a little over about a month ago." Tsunade's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"When we get back, I want to do a full exam on you to be sure this change left you healthy. This is the most intriguing thing I've come across in years."

"Sure, that's fine." At this time they heard the rustling of clothing, drawing their attention to the hanyou slowly getting to his feet.

"Wow, what was that thing I launched? That was killer on my body… I would have hated to be on the receiving end of that." HE commented, unable to figure out what it was that nearly destroyed his body.

**"That was the biju dama; the most powerful attack in the arsenal of the tailed beasts. This attack even exceeds the power of a high level demon."**

"Ah, so that's what it was…" Tsunade looked at him strangely.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked.

"Who? Oh, Kurama." He replied, holding up the sword, which now looked like an old rusty blade instead of the large red sword..

"Kurama? The sword… Wait that's one of the lost treasures!"

"Yeah, but the old guy, Muramasa or 'shape shifter' as he referred to himself, was caged up by Kurama so he could inhabit the sword." Tsunade focused on the hilt of the sword and that blasted nightmarish fox head was sitting atop the pommel, still haunting her memories, along with Hinata's attack.

"Wait, the Kyuubi is now in the sword?"

**"This broad catches on quickly… I believe she might make a respectable Hokage."** Naruto chuckled at the fox's response, catching the pointed glare of the Hokage.

"Oh, sorry. He says you might make a good Hokage."

"Oh great… A recommendation from a being who tried to wipe the village off the face of the earth."

"Well he was actually under someone else's control, but basically yes."

"Damn, I'm going to have a lot to read up on when I return…" Tsunade sighed, rethinking her decision on becoming Hokage; it may be just too much work.

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade shouted while smacking him in the back of the head. "A little warning next time! That chakra was too intense."

"Uh, yeah sorry about that, it's well… Every man for himself! He reached out a squeezed one of her overly large breasts and took off in a flash.

"JIRAIYA!" She slammed her fist into the ground, tearing up the earth in a 50 foot radius, tripping up the old man.

"Shit… kuchiyose no jutsu…" Jiraiya's best toad friend popped out and tossed the sannin on his back. "It's Tsunade again! Let's go Gama!" With a giant leap, the pair disappeared into the forest and an amazing rate.

"Damn that old letch!" She shouted, angry at his pass at her. She looked at the only male left with a scowl. "You better not end up like him, Naruto."

"Don't worry; I won't…" He smirked and grabbed Hinata's chest, causing her to squeak loudly and blush, but not retaliate, except for gently slapping his hand away. "See, big difference…I have permission."

"Naruto-kun; not in front of other people… It's embarrassing." she whispered.

"Fine, be that way… I guess I'll go take care of the dead guy." He stomped away in an obviously fake pout to start taking care of the mess they made.

* * *

After getting rid of Kabuto's body, Naruto was headed back down the road, now horribly outnumbered being with three women, and a pig, who was also female. Since Jiraiya had flown the coup, it was up to them to set the pace for their return to Konoha, meaning that it could quite possibly be a much quicker journey back without the mandatory research stops. Like every other time during their journeys, the couple was still taking their time walking while practicing their techniques to bring them to a better level of polish.

Hinata was ecstatic that she was able to unleash her new jutsu on command: Jūho S ōkitsuneken, as she called it. (Gentle Step: Twin Fox Fists) It was a logical extension to the gentle fist which doled out considerable physical damage as well as extensive damage to the chakra system. This technique was a verifiable, one hit kill technique after the display with Kabuto. After seeing the damage done to his body, she swore to never use it on anyone other than someone she was willing to kill.

Although she was happy with her progress, she was a little worried about Naruto. He was still having some troubles with the rasengan; it just wouldn't stay stable, but he could do something even more difficult, like the biju dama, in the heat of enraged battle. She figured that there must be something else he was missing or overlooking that could only be found when she was in danger, but yet he made the jutsu work in front of Tsunade when she wasn't in danger, just after he made a promise…

"Hey Kurama-san?" Hinata said, interrupting Naruto's current rasengan attempt. "You said that the promising curse of yours increases his concentration, is that why he is able to perform those jutsu before and not now?"

**"Yes... you are correct. It makes your understanding of chakra increase as well."**

"Well, it did seem weird that Naruto-kun has problems with making a rasengan right now, after making it look easy previously. If it increased his concentration past his current limitations, then that would explain the problem."

"Really Hinata, how?" Naruto asked, the topic peaking his interest.

"I guess I could explain it like this: let's just say for explanation's sake that your concentration level at its max is 100, let's call them concentration points. Now if to make the rasengan it takes 125 concentration points, then you just don't have the concentration to pull it off. Now where this changes is if your concentration doubles when a promise is threatened, then you'd have 200 concentration points to spend, so an ability taking 125 will be relatively easy."

"Wow… that kind of is an easy way to think about it, it's like one of those games we'd play in academy where you'd have magic points to spend on spells."

"Exactly, that's why I chose this way."

"Cool, so then how would I increase my concentration to use it normally?"

"I don't know, it seems using the demonic chakra has a similar effect… but you won't want to use that without scaring people, so unless you suddenly have two of yourself, I don't see a way to do it."

"Two?" Naruto grinned at the moment of inspiration. HE had almost forgotten about that ability. Moments later a clone appeared next to him, ginning just as madly as he was.

"That's right, shadow clones!" Hinata smiled happily. She too had almost forgotten the benefits of having clones, this way his concentration wouldn't be divided between controlling the chakra power and spin; he could leave one task to each of his clones. Naruto held out his hand, focusing on spinning the chakra while the clone poured the necessary amount of energy into the jutsu. Once the desired level was reached, he could keep it spiraling easily on his own.

"Alright! I got it!" Naruto shouted, happy to have found a work around for using his most powerful technique.

Tsunade was watching them this whole time and really had to admit that the two were good together. Hinata could explain things so he could grasp the concept, and he had the imagination to think of new ways to overcome his shortfalls. She now believed, more than ever, that those two would advance at a rate almost as drastic as their body transformations. The new Hokage was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice that the couple were now looking at her like they were waiting for an answer.

"Huh? What?" Tsunade asked, realizing her lack of attention.

"We asked if you could teach us how to summon. You can summon, right?" Hinata asked.

"Well yeah I can summon… Like a sannin couldn't summon." The Hokage threw back

"Are they really strong, like a big lion or something?" Naruto wondered with his mind racing with different possibilities.

"Um, no… my summons are… not an attack type, but she can be powerful depending on the situation. Anyways, I really think you should talk to that pervert about summoning, I'm sure he'd let you sign the toad summoning contract."

"That could be cool and all, but we just really only need the signs… Kurama is going to teach us how to summon the foxes." The blonde hanyou revealed with a grin.

"Really… I didn't know there was a fox summoning contract."

"According to him, there isn't, since they are a really high level demon clan… For us it will be more like requesting help and they will arrive using their own power."

"OK, but Just be careful… and I probably wouldn't practice within Konoha, it would scare the villagers to see a demon fox anytime soon."

"Yeah, I know Baa-chan, those guys are paranoid…" Tsunade showed them both the proper way to execute the summoning jutsu and stood back to watch their results.

"How much chakra should I use, Kurama?" Naruto wondered, trying to get a handle on how much was needed to summon the desired fox.

**"You'll want to use a lot, but not so much as to summon the interim leader, that would cause too much friction in their ranks… I think we should try to summon the Myobu – the seven tailed fox whose predecessor was the progenitor of the Hyuuga, there will be some understanding of who you two are with her."**

"So how much chakra would that take?" Naruto asked, still not sure of the amount, just that it was a lot.

**"I would go for pushing out the power of that new jutsu from both hands and hope for the best."**

"Leaving it up to luck, now that's something I can relate to." He did the appropriate hand signs and thrust his hands to the ground. He felt the chakra leave his body, but looked up to see that nothing had changed. There wasn't a puff of smoke like when Manda was summoned, there wasn't even a single sign that anything had happened.

Just as everyone was starting to declare it a failure, there was a distortion in the air in front of him. A form shimmered into existence before them, looking similar to a glass figure before the shine faded to reveal a bright white fox, its head sitting at eye level, looking directly at Naruto with a firm and calculating gaze. Its seven bushy white tails were swaying in the air, being sure to advertise its demonic status.

"Who summons the Myobu?" It demanded in a voice, which seemed to be more like a growl than a voice; actually, other than Naruto and Hinata, it was a growl. She cautiously looked around at each ninja, stopping when she saw the signature eyes of the Hyuuga and instantly knew of their ancestry.

"Was it you girl?" She demanded, stepping closer and sniffing the air around her. Naruto started to get anxious with the large beast being that close to his mate. He took a step towards them, when the fox suddenly snapped at him, baring her fangs ferociously.

"Tell that one to stay back or his next breath will be his last. Now tell me how you activated your Hanyou blood and summoned me." The Myobu demanded from Hinata. The Hyuuga glanced at her mate with a glimmer of fear in her eyes, silently asking him what to do.

"Step back from Hinata." Naruto warned, seeing the fangs of the fox get closer to the girl. The fox looked over at him like he was nuts to order it around.

**"Remember, the kitsune aren't human and don't understand the ways of humans, you must talk to them in terms that they can relate with, power and instincts. They don't have names so they are foreign to their usage."**

"How dare you talk to a greater demon with such insolence!?" She snarled once more for emphasis, before returning her gaze to Hinata. Naruto was angered with the threat being guaranteed in her demonic eyes, pointing at the Hyuuga.

"I told you to step back! Ignore me again and I will rip those tails from your body!" Naruto shouted, hoping Kurama's advice about displaying a show of force will help communicate with the demon. The white kitsune didn't even acknowledge the conversation and wasn't backing down. The blonde quickly moved between them and looked the fox in the eyes. His eyes turned red and he growled at the fox.

**"I said, step back from my mate!"** The large fox shuddered when it felt the pulse of extremely concentrated chakra and knew of only one being to put that level of fear into a demon of its ability. The fox nervously backed up, giving space between them and standing down.

"My apologies, I smelled you all over her and thought she was the one who summoned me. Who shall you be called?"

"Uh, Naruto, I guess." Once again the fox looked at him like he was speaking a different language.

**"You idiot! Kitsune don't have names, just titles. The Hyuuga leader gave you your title, use that."**

"Oh sorry, I guess I'm known as the Lord of Foxes?" There was this strange kindness in the fox's face after hearing those words, almost like there was something of a breakthrough in understanding.

"I see… Is Kurama-chan ok?" it asked in a soft, seemingly mother like tone.

"Kurama-_chan?_ Now that is a good one." Naruto laughed, lightening the mood.

**"SILENCE!"** The kyuubi's words fell on deaf ears, since they were filled with the sounds of laughter from the young man.

"So how do you know Kurama-_chan_?" Naruto asked, snickering at the last part again.

"He was my kit."

"He, huh, what?... oh." This was the part where Naruto felt bad for his joking around and even worse when realizing where he was now.

"He's kind of… in my sword now." The white fox took a step forward, shedding away the fur and fox features until she was standing like a normal human, aside from the bright white hair, ears and tails behind her. She was dressed in a ghostly white kimono and had a pale complexion, making her almost look completely white.

"Yeah, so… sorry for getting him mixed up in this?" Naruto apologized for no real apparent reason.

"No, we knew that one day his life would be taken by humans, but we never expected for him to be part of the creation of the most powerful kitsune hanyou. I believe the reason he was able to be transferred to the sword was of your kindness showing him that humans are worth living alongside."

"So why the hostility towards Hinata?" He wondered, now that things had calmed down.

"I felt the chakra of the kyuubi ask for me to come, what I found was one of those mix breeds. Since the day they were born they had an air of arrogance about them, almost as bad as the Uchiha. We all were ashamed to have our kitsune blood flowing in their veins."

"Hinata isn't like that, sure her family kind of sucked, but I've never met someone so loyal and respectful of others. Besides, just look at how she didn't even flinch when you were eyeing her down."

"She has you to protect her, of course she'd feel secure." The Myobu reminded. Naruto just smiled and shook his head.

"That move wasn't to protect her, but you. She could probably knock you on your ass… right Hinata?" Said woman was looking away, trying to hide the smile from the praise being showered upon her.

"I um… wouldn't do that." She replied in her usually shy sounding voice.

"Well, she is your mate, she will be just as powerful as you are with time, but what I can't figure out is why she hasn't taken on more of the Hanyou features to match yours… She should have a display of chakra on her head like ears as you do… tell me; can you feel your mate's presence in the back of your mind?"

"Eh, no… I feel nothing like that… you Hinata?"

"Um, no… I would remember something like that."

"And you did the bite and mated?" They both coughed and blushed at the recollection of that last action being mentioned.

"Humans… kitsune mate openly and frequently, mating is as usual as you humans and your kissing." The kitsune woman then looked at Hinata thoroughly while circling her numerous times, contemplating the possibilities.

"She's good for a human, nice body features, this really is a fine mate, but I think we should examine her body in more detail. Being his mate should give you more benefits than this."

"Well, I did get this matured body from the bite." Hinata revealed shyly.

"Oh, then that's it…" The fox shouted while slamming her fist onto her palm. "You guys are still young, right… like how old? 14 or 15?"

"12"

"12? Well, that's definitely it then. I'm sure Kurama told you about some of the strange ways hanyou mature, but even we aren't sure of the other oddities. I'm sure you will get the hanyou features with a little more time."

"Is it usual for them to transform like they did?" Tsunade asked, breaking into the conversation.

"How so?" The kitsune wondered.

"I changed almost instantaneously from my 12 year old self to this body." Hinata reiterated from her previous statement. "It was quite painful."

"Strange… it shouldn't have happened like that. It should have taken about a month to transform. Maybe your hanyou blood wasn't fully activated at that time and only went through a partial transformation."

"Yeah, that's what Kurama thought. Baa-chan just wanted to check her out from the human side of things, I guess." Naruto assured, not really wanting to bring up the whole transformation part.

"Well then, did Kurama-chan tell you about learning to use kitsune magic?" The Myobu asked, getting back onto something that would be much more interesting to the pair.

"We heard about it but were told to get used to how our bodies are currently before getting into that." Hinata recalled

"Normally, yes, but from our little encounter, I can tell Naruto is using that bijou chakra incorrectly. It is very strong and intimidating, but you waste so much of it on intimidation. Once you master kitsune magic, you will have a new understanding of chakra and be able to devise a new way to harness your true power."

"That's, great, but how do we learn it? A sword isn't really a good teacher." Naruto mumbled out loud.

**"HEY!"** The Kyuubi's protest went unnoticed and the group continued their conversation.

"I could teach you, if you'd like." The young blonde's face brightened

"Really? That would be great!"

* * *

(Location Unknown)

Blackness surrounded a small fox while it instinctively maneuvered a maze of stony paths. He sniffed the air, every few feet, just to make sure he was on the right course. He turned one last corner and entered a large room, evident only by the reduction of the echo from his footsteps.

"Tamamo-sama!" Large red eyes blinked and turned towards the one addressing him, peering out from the darkness of the cave. The small little copper colored fox stood under his gaze. He shivered in the presence of the great being and started his report.

"Myoubu-sama has made contact with the hanyou and intends to train him and his mate in kitsune magic."

"His mate? Another hanyou?" The large booming voice called out.

"Yes Sir. It seems this female was very compatible and has already completed the mating ritual."

"And their eyes? Were they one of _them_?"

"I believe so; the female's were abnormally light in color."

"Excellent, where were they headed?"

"Konoha." A slight chuckle reverberated around Tamamo.

"I see… The time to strike is now! We shall finally rid the world of those mixed bred abominations!" The great fox stepped out from the maze of caves, revealing his darker than night fur, a color even darker than its heart. The copper fox looked minuscule in comparison as he scampered to keep up with the giant steps.

"Summon the other nogitsune, and prepare for battle. We have tracked down the mixed breeds." The large black fox struck the ground with the combined force of its eight tails and let out a low rumbling growl. "The abominations will be cleansed!"

* * *

Naruto, and his large entourage of women, soon arrived outside of the gates of Konoha. The sweltering heat from the day was fading, with the light from the sun as it continued to retreat from view. A gentle breeze went by, bringing with it a strange smell, something similar to the sulfur from explosives. With that unmistakable scent, he jumped back and landed in front of Hinata in a guarding formation right as a series of rockets launched into the air, exploding into brilliant shades of blues, reds, and oranges. He let out a relieved sigh…

"Fireworks!" Hinata squealed happily. She hadn't been able to enjoy a celebration from any place other than her bedroom and was excited to be able to see them in the open with others.

"What's going on?" Asked the kitsune woman.

"Jiraiya…" Seethed the new Hokage. "That guy always looks for a way to get women out to party."

Just as Tsunade suspected, it was a celebration for her arrival as Hokage, orchestrated by none other than the toad sannin. The group was quickly met with hundreds of villagers, already well into the midst of a drinking party. The drunken citizens cheered and offered all kinds of booze, making Tsunade start to glow.

"Later Tsunade-sama." Shizune urged, knowing that once the woman started celebrating, there wasn't going to be an end until the sun came up.

Tsunade sighed in disappointment and had to decline, although she promised to return after checking in. Once through the initial onslaught, the villagers started to calm down, yet there were many of the younger population now gathered, trying to get the attention of the two ninja, who accompanied the sannin and her attendant.

It was getting to be very strange for Naruto, seeing villagers actually want to talk to him and shake his hand. For years, he had always been the demon boy, but now they didn't even recognize him as that person and treated him like an actual human being. When Hinata saw his face start to glow in the attention, she ran up to him and held his arm tightly to her body. She was very happy they were all acknowledging him, but she also noticed the looks the female population gave in his direction making her want to be possessive.

They finally made it to the Hokage administration building, leaving behind the raucous celebration and entered into the much quieter building. Shizune let out a satisfied sigh after they made it there without any consumption of alcohol. Hiruzen looked up from preparing his pipe and smiled at the group before taking a puff.

"Tsunade, good timing. I take it that you will accept the title of Hokage?" He asked with a long draw, exhaling smoke into the air. Of course he knew the answer, he just wanted to hear it from her.

"A week ago I would have said no without a second thought, but this blonde brat made things more interesting, so I think I will watch over this village until he can prove he is worthy to take over for me." The Sandaime smiled and nodded, turning towards the Hanyou couple.

"Well Naruto, it would appear that you have found a few more people to support you in your dream." He groaned while pushing himself up to his feet and focused on the blonde woman.

"Now then…" He took of his hat slowly and offered it to the woman.

"Good luck, Godaime Hokage." The old man patted her shoulder after she accepted the ceremonial hat and headed towards the door.

"Your first task is organizing the chuunin exams. I'll leave you to it."

"Really? Work already?" Tsunade sighed and moved towards the Hokage's desk where she set down the large hat. She started going through the papers neatly organized on the wide surface. Pulling out the detail of the exam from the stack, her eyes widened when noticing the date.

"Come on! It's taking place in three weeks!?" She groaned and rested her face in her hands.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Naruto looked puzzled by her actions.

"Hey baa-chan… What are these chuunin exams?" He asked.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, probably after lunch. Come to the hospital with Hinata and I'll do that examination she wanted."

"Right." She agreed, hoping her rosy cheeks wouldn't give away the details of the exam.

"Yeah, OK, see ya tomorrow." Naruto and Hinata filed out of the office, with the kitsune yokai meeting up with them outside of the building. Once back into the celebrating village, the three headed for the Hyuuga estate.

More of the large complex faded into view with each step until they were standing in front of the entrance. Stepping through the doors of the estate, all the Hyuuga stopped what they were doing and looked up with their arrival, sensing something out of the ordinary had arrived. Hinata recognized most of them looking back at them as members of the branch family, but they all had their foreheads uncovered, showing off the absence of their seal and had a look of relief on their faces.

"The lords of the manor have arrived!" One shouted, heralding in their arrival for all the estate to witness.

"Maybe we should have gone in through the window again…" Naruto whispered jokingly, knowing a big deal was already being made. Right after that comment, Hiashi and the rest of the clan elders appeared, each bowing their heads as though they are greeting royalty.

"We have returned, father…" Hinata greeted as was her usual saying upon seeing her father.

"We are pleased to have your safe return… Yours too Naruto-sama." He replied, making Naruto uncomfortable at the high class honorific

"Yeah, thanks and all but leave off that sama stuff, it makes me feel uncomfortable." He openly informed them

"Very well Naruto-san, now may I ask who you have brought with you?"

"This, well she is the current Myobu of the Kitsune Yokai…" The clan elders all had a look of shock upon their faces.

"Oh, well then… welcome. Could someone please show her to the guest house?" A male Hyuuga soon appeared and motioned her to follow him.

"Now then, shall I show the two of you to your chambers?" Hiashi asked with a strange grin upon his face, as though he was clearly hiding something.

"Um… Chambers? Okay." Hinata found it all too strange to be walking through her old home in this manner; it was almost foreign to her now. Recently she has been sneaking out of her window and not seeing the majority of the estate. They soon rounded a corner where she saw a newly constructed building standing before them where there wasn't one previously. There was still sawdust and a small amount of construction debris scattered around it, showing it was just recently finished.

"This one is yours… Breakfast is at six." Hiashi bowed again and left the couple alone and made no attempt to show Naruto to another room, showing his continued approval of them being together.

"Well, it can't be worse than my old apartment…" Naruto commented jokingly. He opened the door and was amazed at the room revealed to him. It was sparsely decorated, but had an open, airy feeling to it despite the small size. The wooden floors and high vaulted ceilings added to the luxurious and spacious feeling. Hinata walked up to the large bed in the center of the room and fell forward onto the plush coverings, snuggling into the thick blankets. She continued to lie on the bed when she felt large hands touch her back, gently pressing down around her shoulders and sliding down her back. She let out a groan of protest when the caressing stopped and looked back for a reason.

"What? You want me to continue?" She smiled and sleepily nodded her head, urging him to start again.

"Alright, stand up then." She looked at him with a puzzled look and slowly slid off the bed and faced him. He leaned forward and found her pink lips, pulling her into a deep, long kiss. He slowly massaged her lips while he reached for the zipper tag of her jacket and eased it down, followed by slipping off the small outerwear. He looked down at her stunning body and had to do his best to control himself from taking her right then and there. He turned away after those thoughts and looked at the ceiling to calm himself.

"Lay down on the bed, and I'll take care of you." Hinata giggled at his order and his slight embarrassment and cast off the rest of her clothing and laid down on the bed, dressed only in her hitai-ate. She was anxiously awaiting the reaction from her mate when he got to see her like that.

"Ok, I'm ready." She called out between giggles. He turned and saw the whole of her smooth and toned body. Her head was turned so she could look directly at him and see the look on his face. She flirtatiously motioned for him to come over with her hand, enjoying the lustful look in his eyes.

"I, uh… I'm going to lock the door." He hurried across the room and with a swift click, the door was secured. As he was headed back, he tossed off his jacket along the way. He stalked his way closer to her, making her suffer the wait before reaching out and sliding his hand across her pale flesh, stopping with his hand firmly on her butt. He jumped up onto the bed and straddled her hips to reach her back easily and started to apply force to her muscles rhythmically.

"Wow, your muscles feel knotted up." She said nothing to his comment, only groaned and sighed while his hands worked her overused muscles. He worked her shoulders, moving down further to get her upper, middle and lower back. Moving even lower, she suddenly gasped and picked up her head when he deeply stimulated her muscles around her sexy 'Dimples of Venus', or butt dimples as some refer to them.

"A little tender." He commented in a low voice and lightened up the pressure to work out the tightened muscles. Running his palms from her lower back up to her shoulders, she sighed once more. This continued for many minutes until there was less reaction from Hinata and her muscles felt relaxed. He rolled off her, marking the end of her massage. She wrenched her neck around to look at her mate and snickered when she saw the strange look on his face. She rolled to her side and bared the entirety of her frontal nudity to him. She lay like that for a few moments, obviously teasing him with her flirtatious pose. She slowly raised her hand and pointed towards his waistline.

"I think we should take care of that." She giggled while the red color flooded across her face at the brazen comment.

"But what about…?" Her hand reached around his neck and forcefully pulled him in for a kiss, silencing his excuse. When she finally let him go, her pursed lips curled up into a smile.

"Let's not worry about that… I can't really stop after all this anyways." She let out a cute little growl and pounced on him. He growled in return before rolling her onto her back and looked down at her hungry visage and soon returned the affection she desired.

* * *

end chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

After breakfast the next day, the kitsune trio were sitting in the nearest training area to the Hyuuga estate. The two women were sitting under the single tree towards the entrance of the grounds, their hair dancing in the gentle summer's breeze. Hinata's dark hair glistened with the angle of the sun's rays, making it something worth painting, had there been an artist nearby. Naruto took his eyes off his mate and settled in to start his training idea which popped into his mind just after his intense session of 'training' the previous night with Hinata.

Close to one hundred clones filled the training grounds, each of them gripping their swords in one hand. Simultaneously they unsheathed the blade, showing off different looking weapons, equal to the number of clones. The numerous blades then morphed into a simple bladed katana with a rounded tip and dull looking blade. Half of the clones separated from the group and were now facing the others. With a silent gesture, they all started going through the basic kata of kenjutsu Jiraiya had told him about. Five minutes later, they all felt warmed up and stopped their practice swings. They all yelled loudly and charged at the other line and started attacking with one on one battles.

"What is going on here?" Called out a light voice. The two sitting women looked over and saw a girl intently watching the sword play.

"Naruto-kun is practicing kenjutsu." Hinata informed. "What bring you here TenTen-san?"

"Oh please, just call me TenTen. I've never liked those honorific titles." She continued watching the exchange pausing her answer to the question.

"I was passing by when I heard weapons clashing and when it deals with weaponry, I've just gotta see it."

"Are you a weapon user type?" Hinata asked, not having learned too much from their previous encounter.

"Yeah, but mostly ranged weapons. I've never tried close quarters sword fighting. It takes a massive amount of training to use well and just a simple error could cost you your life. Nope, I like to stick it out from a safe distance and take them out little by little."

"Is sword fighting that much more dangerous than your version?" Hinata asked, hoping that what her boyfriend was doing wasn't too dangerous for him.

"There…" She suddenly pointed at a pair facing off. "See how that one is trying to fight like a show off?" They watched as one clone spun around to attack the other, only to get slashed in the back by the other.

"Yeah, I see it."

"Well, if you do that in a real fight, you are done. He's not bad but I see a lot of those clones doing those flashy moves, so this training is worthless." TenTen's comment showed that she didn't grasp the depth of Naruto's training.

"Really?" Hinata asked with a knowing grin. "TenTen, if you would be so kind as to hit one of those clones with a kunai, you will see just how Naruto-kun is training."

"Uh, yeah, sure…" She took out a kunai and expertly struck one of the clones in the back of the neck, removing it from existence. Just as soon as that one disappeared, the whole remaining group stopped for a second and started back in. Now the ones performing the flashy moves didn't use that method again.

"Those are Shadow Clones?" TenTen asked incredulously. "I've heard that shadow clones send their memories back to the original, but I've never heard of them behaving like a hive mind."

"It's from his…" Hinata started until a touch from her kitsune neighbor changed her response. "…His bloodline allows that distinct quality. We were surprised when we found it training as well, but this makes things go much faster." She didn't lie, she just shielded the whole fact that the kitsune blood in him lends a peculiar communication network, similar to a pack. Once they mature some more, she will be able to tune into that pack mind as well.

"So since it works that way, why doesn't he use sharpened blades? It would be more efficient."

"True, but the real one is among them." Hinata informed.

"Then just have him stand to the side and lets the rest go at it."

"Then the clones will get upset that he is standing by and doing nothing while they do the work. It's kind of complicated how his clones tend to work." The Hyuuga countered again.

"I guess I understand, so then are you just going to sit here and strike them down one by one until they are gone?"

"Or until a set time limit is reached." Hinata added, showing the genin that her first assumption was correct. The Hyuuga flung another kunai out and struck down yet another clone.

"So I take it that you here to assist with the byakugan so you don't hit the real one?"

"Correct again."

"Well, I'll be waiting to see how his training ends up, but… On another topic… Are you guys taking the exams?"

"I don't know yet, we have an appointment with Tsunade-sama after lunch and that is one of the topics."

"Really, you guys are on first name already?" TenTen asked, hoping that she would be able to be that close to her idol.

"Um… yeah I guess, it just ended up like that when we were traveling together."

"Wait, you guys were the ones who brought her back then?"

"Yes… Though it was mostly Naruto-kun who convinced her to be Hokage."

"OK, well I'll make sure that if we end up taking the exam together that I stay away from you two."

"Sure… Good luck TenTen." The young genin smiled and waved before trotting off into the village. Hinata grinned and returned her gaze back to Naruto and his training.

* * *

"Welcome Jonin." Tsunade greeted. Her office was packed with the jonin of the village who were actively training a team of genin. "As I'm sure you all know, the chuunin exams are upon us and it is my first task as Hokage to organize it. Now before we get into details of the exam itself, I would like to ask if there are any jonin here who will recommend their teams for the exams? Please step forward and declare your team."

"Yuhi Kurenai, and I recommend my team of Kiba, Shino and Sakura for the exams."

"Sarutobi Asuma, and I recommend the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho for the exams."

"Hatake Kakashi… Usually a team consists of 3 members, but my protégé, Uchiha Sasuke is more than ready to appear in the chuunin selections on his own.

"MY TEAM SHALL SHOW THEIR YOUTHFULLNES IN THIS YEAR'S EXAM AS WELL!" Shouted Gai, standing stiff as a board while at attention. Tsunade sighed after remembering him in his younger days; looks like he never changed.

"Ok, anyone else?" She looked around and saw no other takers, so she continued. "Well I'm not going to drastically change the format from the previous exams, so you will still need 3 team members to compete, so I have arranged for two strong genin to accompany Sasuke."

"As long as they won't hold him back…" Kakashi interjected.

"You should worry more about him holding them back, but I'm sure they could manage it if he did." She replied with a stern smile.

"Just so you know, Sasuke is probably qualified to be jonin. He has even given me a hard time once. Should he awaken the mangekou, he will be unstoppable." The copy Ninja threw back.

"I'm sure he will." She waved him of nonchalantly. "Now back to the exams… This year, I'm thinking of combining the first and second tests to make things go faster…"

* * *

About 50 clones were still left standing after fighting for almost 5 hours straight. If you account for the knowledge compounded by the additions of the clones, it was like training for 15 straight days. With this amount of experience, he should be well adept to the sword.

"I believe that should be enough for now, we don't want him getting spent before I start teaching you both the basics of Kitsune magic." Interrupted the Myobu. Hinata sighed; it was refreshing to be able to sit back and watch him like she used to, but at least this time she could actually talk to him.

"True…" Hinata relented before shouting out to her mate.

"Lunch Time!"

The Narutos looked over and smiled at the mention of food. The clones disappeared on the growling of the originals stomach. Hinata had a wonderful spread laid out for them, containing many different meats and berries, well suited for a kitsune appetite.

"What time do we need to see Baa-chan?" Naruto asked Hinata while finishing off the last bit of the lunch she had set out. The Hyuuga woman quickly jumped to her feet with a gasp.

"Hurry, we're going to be late." She shouted while stuffing the remains of their picnic into her bag and started scrambling down the street.

* * *

The moment they entered the doors to the hospital, Naruto slowed before they were greeted with the kind face of the Hokage. She was sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting area, with her legs crossed, taping her foot impatiently.

"Hokage-sama, I hope we aren't late." Hinata half apologized.

"No Hinata, you are right on time, I just sat down a second ago. Naruto, you stay here, we'll be back after the exam is over." He wanted to protest, but a gentle nod from his mate calmed him enough to sit and wait despite his distaste for being alone in a hospital.

"We'll be using exam room #3." Tsunade informed the nurse at the front desk and led the women into the exam room. With the door now shut, Tsunade pulled a curtain shut and told the young woman to change in a medical gown; which was hanging on the wall behind her. A few moments of the sound of fabric moving and she was changed into the uncomfortable attire.

"I'm ready." She called out after getting situated. The curtain was pulled back open and the small Hyuuga was lying on the exam table, wiggling to get comfortable. The two older women stood on either side of her, getting ready to examine her. Hinata closed her eyes as the thin gown was pulled back, revealing her perfect skin. Tsunade started out by pressing in certain areas on her abdomen and checking her pulse before her hands started to glow with her chakra for the rest of the exam.

"This is quite remarkable." Tsunade commented as the chakra started to fade. "Your bone density is off the charts, you could probably take twice the force of a normal person before a bone would break… Aside from that, you appear to be a perfectly healthy 20 year old woman.

"20, but I…" Hinata was quite surprised at the age she was being told she was functioning as.

"You're probably going to have to adjust your thinking. Your mental maturity, and obviously, your physical maturity are in line with a 20 year old." She corrected. Even thinking about it herself, it would be a difficult feat to take in.

"But a few weeks ago Kurama told us we were about 18."

"Maybe back then, but you are still aging at a rapid rate due to your hanyou blood." The Myobu reminded. "This is good news though; it means your hanyou features should only be a week or so away from manifesting, maybe sooner. With it, you will notice many senses getting more vivid and you should start to notice the connection with your mate."

"That soon? Will it hurt?"

"Not at all. You should just wake up one day with a slight headache from processing the new information from your senses, or sometimes you'll just look at your reflection and it will be there."

"Now then, are you sure you'd still like that other thing taken care of?" Tsunade asked, sensing a need to finish up. Hinata blushed and nodded her head.

"It gets personally invasive, most get taught to perform it on their own, but it would take about 3 months to master it." Tsunade informed, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Personally invasive? Nothing weird right?" Hinata asked before shaking her head. "I don't care either way; just go ahead, I don't want to worry about it. You can teach me the technique later."

"Ok." Tsunade pulled back her gown further, exposing her lower half, causing Hinata to tense up. Placing her hand on the flesh covering her pelvis, the medic slowly rubbed her hand in small clockwise circles until stopping at a certain point and applied a gentle flow of chakra. A small spiral appeared for a short moment on her skin before fading to nothing.

"And you're done…" She informed while covering her body with the gown

"Thanks… that was a little embarrassing since it wasn't Naruto-kun." She replied, not thinking about the content of the information that she provided.

"And how many times has he done that?" Tsunade teased.

"I uh… I think it's time to get dressed." Her face turned red as she sidestepped the question, causing Tsunade to laugh.

"You didn't have to answer a question like that." She pulled the curtain closed and sat down with the Myobu.

"So, that connection she will gain with Naruto, how does that work?"

"It should start out by just giving her that strange intuition, or a feeling like you're being watched. Something similar to that. Now if they are really compatible, they may even be able talk to each other and even share chakra between them."

"Really… If so that really would make Hinata capable of being just as strong as he is?"

"Correct, that is the hidden ability of the kitsune clans. It is also the reason why there are many against letting our blood mix with humans. When a kitsune youkai takes a human mate, the human instantly gains all the power of the demon. It throws off the balance of our clan." At this time the curtain opened again, revealing Hinata, still with rosy colored cheeks. She was led back into the waiting area where Naruto was sitting, obviously impatiently. Hinata started laughing when she saw him lying upside-down in one of the chairs.

"What are you doing?" She asked through her laughter.

"I was bored, so I decided to look at the world from the other side, I have to say it is different." He replied without a second thought to how he looked to others.

"Actually, you're the one who is different." Tsunade commented. "Now about the chuunin exams…"

"Yeah?" Naruto's interest piqued and he flipped himself to normally sit in his chair.

"The chuunin exam starts behind the academy in three weeks at 11am sharp. You will need three people on your team to enter."

"Three? But we only have two?" He brought up, showing that he could at least count.

"I was getting to that. Your third will be Sasuke." Naruto's smile dropped at the sound of his name.

"That bastard!"

"Yeah, I never really saw eye to eye with the Uchihas either, but he's the only other genin ready for the exams." The Hokage reminded him, leaving no choice but to accept it.

"OK fine, but if he pisses either of us off, I can't guarantee his safety."

"Understood, and one more thing." Tsunade stood and took off her necklace and placed it around his neck. "I will entrust this special necklace to you, so make sure to come back a chuunin."

"Sure thing Baa-chan! I'll become chuunin for sure, that I promise." His eyes suddenly flashed red for a second, coinciding with his new promise.

"Well, we should get back to training, you never know what powerful person may be there." Naruto stood up and grabbed Hinata's hand before pulling her energetically towards the training ground again.

"Sure is energetic." The vixen commented before sauntering out of the hospital after them.

* * *

The Myobu arrived at their training ground shortly after the pair started sparing and gasped when she noticed Hinata had something she didn't have back at the hospital.

"Ok, I think it is time to start training both of you in kitsune magic." She called out, gaining their undivided attention.

"Both? I thought Hinata had to get hanyou features first. "

"Yes, you are right Naruto… Look closely at your mate's head." He looked up and stared at her head looking for anything out of place, suddenly he noticed her hair twitched slightly, then it just slowly appeared, two small little fox like ears atop her head.

"How long has she had fox ears?" He wondered out loud, causing her to shriek and feel the top of her head and sure enough there were two little protrusions on her head. Of course they weren't really ears, but a manifestation of their hanyou abilities.

"She is now a full blown hanyou, much like yourself. She won't be nearly as powerful as you are since the demonic blood is diluted through generations, but that is just on her own. If you two are fully harmonious, then the both of you can become much stronger. "

'Strange though… it should have taken longer… Maybe, just maybe she might have the power to draw her mate's abilities onto herself… Intriguing.' The fox thought while the couple continued to talk about Hinata's ears.

"Do they look weird?" She asked, half ignoring the Myobu's explanation and covering the ethereal ears with her hands.

"Nope, you don't even notice them… you must already be using kitsune magic to hide them… but they are cute." She blushed and looked away.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Alright, young ones, back to your kitsune training."

"Right." They both agreed, fully synchronized in their speech.

"It's going to be difficult and frustrating, but you'll become strong on a whole new level once you've mastered it. Now both of you make a bunch of clones, but keep it on a 1:1 ratio between you two. And tomorrow we take the training into the forest." The both of them stood in unison and executed their jutsu perfectly in time. They then noticed the strange way they were behaving.

"I think something is weird." They both stated at the same time, once again. The Myobu shook her head at the pair's continually evolving abilities.

"I had anticipated this happening later on with more training, but it would seem that you both are very compatible with each other. The bond you have as mates has grown beyond normal, so you are experiencing one another's thoughts. In time you will sort it out and stop saying the same thing at the same time, but for now, let's just focus on controlling kitsune chakra…"

* * *

The weeks of training passed and the day came for the start of the chuunin exams. Their training took place outside of Konoha where they experienced their first battle of living like the animals and embracing nature. Many wouldn't think too much about spending a week in nature, but this wasn't like a vacation where you brought along snacks and lunches; this was the real deal. Only being allowed the clothes on their back for the entirety of the training was quite an eye opener by the second half of the first day.

By the time the second week came to be, the couple was back to laughing and enjoying their new found joy of running through the forest as fast as they can. It sure seemed like fun training at that point, but that second week was actually the start of the real training. As they were nearing the end of the second week, the Myobu finally started to get a feel for how Hinata the two were progressing as they do so quickly; it was their subconscious connection.

The moment Hinata would understand an aspect of her training, the next moment Naruto would gain that same realization. It was something truly unique with the pair that they could operate in that way, but that made it so training them would be a lot more efficient. It really came down to a system similar to the shadow clones, but the experiences were shared with two real people instead, a truly remarkable learning tool.

Upon the end of the training session, the pair had learned as much as they could in the short time. They were definitely more powerful than before, but there were a few things that still needed to be figured out and completed before unlocking the true potential of the Kyuubi Hanyou. Seeing that her work was done for the time being, the Myobu took her leave and left the pair to integrate back into the world of humans.

* * *

The day of the chuunin exams started out as a clear day, not a cloud in sight, a perfect day for enjoying the outdoors. Naruto and Hinata were walking together towards the academy, pushing back the animalistic urge to run through the trees and enjoy the sun. It had been challenging to put off some of those urges found in nature, but the couple seemed to be doing a respectable job in keeping up their human way of life.

Once on the grounds of the academy, they met up with their teammate, who was carelessly looking at a tree in a clear attempt to irritate them by purposely ignoring their presence. He finally acknowledged them when they stood right in his line of sight; giving him no other option.

"Hey Sasuke, you done brooding yet? It's time to go." Naruto asked, not liking how the Uchiha had gotten even fuller of himself with Kakashi's training

"Hn… just don't hold me back."

"Yeah, Yeah…" Sasuke turned and started walking, being sure to draw extra attention to the katana resting on his back in an attempt to one up the smallish looking blade resting with the blonde. The pair shook their heads and followed him.

"Hinata, did he get taller? I thought we were the only ones with accelerated growth." Naruto asked, noting the boy's increased stature.

"He does look a bit older… maybe his training caused it, or maybe a growth spurt?"

"Yeah, maybe…" He replied, still thinking that something else was up with him, or that Kakashi had a secret way of training. The trio stepped around the back side the academy where there was a large group of genin waiting for the start of the exam. They were scattered everywhere, sitting, standing and even lying on the ground, all trying to occupy their time while waiting…

"So these are the other genin." Naruto commented, much too loud, drawing angry stares from everyone.

"Good going loser, now they're all paying attention to us." Sasuke berated. The hanyou just shrugged in reply.

"So, you scared?" He asked.

"Hn"

Naruto chuckled at the angered look before taking a look around a bit, feeling strangely aware that something was off about the current situation. He looked at Sasuke, who seemed stuck in his own world and didn't notice anything. When he looked at Hinata, she only smiled and nodded, knowing exactly what he was asking. She activated her byakugan and surveyed the area, noticing a faint disturbance in the grasses surrounding the academy.

"This isn't a meeting spot. Besides we were told it started at 11, it's about 10 past now…" Hinata whispered, drawing Sasuke's attention. He then activated his sharingan and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, this is but the starting line." Naruto agreed and the three silently slipped away from the waiting genin and headed in the direction indicated by the tracks and marks purposefully left behind. Even to an untrained eye, the trail they took was obvious. Broken branches and cut underbrush advertised the way like a billboard.

"Is this trail too easy?" Naruto asked after pondering the issue. Looking back at Hinata, she activated her eyes once again.

"There's a group of three chuunin ahead, looks like it's a trap." Hinata informed them.

"If it's a trap, shouldn't we spring it?" He asked in reply to his mate's information. "If we can't take down three chuunin, then we can't expect to become one ourselves, right?"

"You have a plan?" Sasuke asked, slowly warming up to the idea that these two were not even remotely the same people he was in class with.

"I was thinking I send in 3 clones, disguised as each of us. When the chuunin attack, we use the opening to subdue them."

"You sure using clones is wise?" Naruto smirked and used his abilities to answer Sasuke's question. In an instant there were three identical clones looking back at them.

"Satisfied?"

"Hn…"

"I guess that is a yes… the signal to attack is when they attack the clones. Your target will be whichever one attacks the clone in your likeness." They all nodded in agreement and disappeared into the forest around the chuunin.

The three clones continued down the trail, impervious to the ruse and emerged into a larger grassy area. Behind the chuunin stood a large chain-link fence with vines and weeds growing up through the interlinking pieces of metal. Behind it stood even larger trees, many centuries old, with a dark almost other worldly appearance dwarfing the high fence.

"Look, another group of genin who can't make heads or tails of anything…" Commented one chuunin after seeing the trio arrive.

"Let's greet them properly." Responded another.

"Lamb to the slaughter." Laughed the final one.

The three clones took off towards the chuunin, displaying an obvious frontal attack, creating a false sense of predictability. Right as the chuunin were ready to attack the fakes, the original three jumped from their hiding spots and attacked from behind them while they were occupied from the front. Realizing their mistake, they turned to the ones behind them, completely omitting the danger from their front. It was a logical maneuver since genin weren't able to learn any real cloning techniques, well normal genin. When the clones jumped onto their backs and held them in a tight head lock, they realized their error in an instant. With them now immobilized, the real three had a free shot.

"Pass!" Shouted out a female voice in the distance before they could make the first strike and knock out the chuunin. They looked over towards the voice and saw a woman with short, almost purple hair looking at them. She wore a tan colored jacket, hanging down to her knees and wore it open in the front, leaving little to be considered when looking at her form, barely hidden by the fishnet style armor.

"My name is Matarashi Anko; you three, follow me; quickly." She ordered. The trio shrugged and released the chuunin and followed the woman towards the chain-link fence and out of sight from the chuunin.

"You've passed the first part of this test, so far you are only the fourth team to do so. The second part of your mission is to deliver something to the Hokage in the tower which sits in the middle of Training ground 44, more colorfully named 'the forest of death'" She pulled out two small scrolls, each distinctively different from the other.

"You will have to deliver both scrolls to the Hokage, but here is the catch; you only get one handed to you. The other can be found on one of the other teams in the forest."

"So we're halving the current number of teams yet we don't know how many teams will even start, forcing us to attack one of the three already within the forest." Sasuke mentioned while analyzing the situation. Anko nodded and nearly threw one of the scrolls at Naruto. He tucked it away in his pocket and watched as jonin slipped the other into her jacket pocket. He chuckled at the idea which entered his mind right as Hinata stepped in front of him.

"Give me the scroll, I don't trust you! You always lose everything you're ever in charge of. We almost starved to death during that last mission where you lost all our food!" She growled at him. She forcefully tried to stick her hand into his pocket while he angrily batted away her attempt.

"Get off of me!" He shouted while shoving her much too roughly to treat a woman, causing her to stumble backwards and crash into the jonin who was enjoying watching the team fall apart. She had a strange sense of humor when it came to teams falling apart and was enjoying the show, but was starting to get pissed at the fact that a guy was treating a woman that way.

"I'm keeping the scroll." He spat back at the Hyuuga woman and kicked her shoe for emphasis.

"Maybe I should take the scroll?" Sasuke offered.

"Fuck you!" Naruto replied and angrily headed towards the entrance to the forest. "You losers coming or am I going to do all of this by myself?"

"Up yours!" Hinata shouted back before standing and angrily jamming her hands into her pockets. She hurriedly caught up to him, just barely passing Sasuke by the time she got there.

"Good luck." Anko snickered and shut the gate behind them. She headed away from the gate chuckling at how unorderly the team was, wondering just how far they'd get like that. She shook her head and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets causing her eyes to widen.

"Sneaky little whore!" She shouted before bursting into all out laughter...

* * *

The trio took off into the forest, running at a good clip when Naruto suddenly stopped in a small clearing. Hinata landed next to him with a smile, followed by the unemotional Sasuke.

"Just what the hell was that?" Sasuke demanded. He was under the impression that the two of them would work well as a team, but what he was seeing was definitely not teamwork, a healthy relationship, or a couple for that matter.

"You got it, right Hinata?" Naruto asked knowingly. She nodded and pulled the other scroll out from her pocket and waved it in the air.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about." He cheered while picking her up and quickly kissing her as he set her down. The two turned to Sasuke, who was clearly shocked that they managed to steal a scroll from a jonin, and all with an orchestrated farce executed perfectly without even the slightest communication or visual cues between them.

"How?" Was all he sputtered out.

"Hinata and I have awesome teamwork…" He left it at that and led the way, hurrying through the forest towards the tower at the center. Without having to search for another team, they just went full speed ahead and arrived at the central tower just in time for a late lunch.

"Special delivery Baa-chan!" Naruto announced happily, tossing the two scrolls at the blonde Hokage, who jumped at the sudden appearance of the team.

"How'd you get here so fast?" She asked while inspecting the scrolls.

"It was easy, we stole the second scroll from Anko and ran all the way here." Naruto informed, just like it was child's play.

"So that was what she meant by 'sneaky bastards'." Tsunade chuckled at the news, she just hoped that the jonin admired the thievery otherwise she would get even, and you never wanted to be on the receiving end of one of Anko's retributions.

"It will be close to two days before the end of the test is signaled, but you still have to stay here, so feel free to do some training or just rest. You will be issued a room to sleep in until the time comes for the next portion of the test." The Hokage informed before tucking the scrolls away.

"Ok, great, I'll take to a bit of training, I still haven't gotten a grasp on something I've been trying." Naruto quickly left the office Tsunade was in and headed to the lowest floor of the tower, with Hinata, to resume his training. Sasuke saw this as an opportunity to spy on his teammate and followed after them.

Sasuke watched for about an hour with Naruto just doing simple Taijutsu kata, followed by kenjutsu and leading into practicing the rasengan. Sasuke had hoped to copy any jutsu they had with his sharingan, only to find that everything they used was specialized to only them and couldn't be copied, they could only be achieved through practice and concentration. He continued watching until the Naruto sat next to Hinata, both closing their eyes in a form of meditation. He resituated himself and stepped on a dry twig, creating a tiny crack.

Both pairs of eyes popped open, nearly frightening the Uchiha. Naruto seemingly looked at him with blood red slitted eyes and a red shadow streaked across his eye lids. That was enough on its own, but to see the same black slits in the pale eyes of a Hyuuga was plenty to feel weirded out about. Her eyes were shadowed much like his, but with a pale lavender color. Their ethereal ears were more obvious in that state and were colored much like their eyelids.

"I'm going to try it now." Naruto mumbled, ignoring the presence of the Uchiha. Hinata nodded and activated her byakugan. Orange flames started flaring up, consuming his hands, arms and up to his shoulders, it was just about to cover his chest when a dark red chakra erupted outward, making the atmosphere heavy and unbreathable. The orange flames retreated and the red quickly cloaked his body instead. Sasuke fell to his knees and started coughing, not able to handle the demonic presence. Naruto pulled back the chakra and reverted to his usual self.

"Almost!" He shouted, half in joy, the other in disappointment.

"You were almost there Naruto-kun, the demon chakra just overwhelmed your human chakra, knocking off the balance." She witnessed, which gave him the memory of what she had just seen

"Yeah, it's just that the two chakras aren't the same, so when you pull out the demon chakra, you need almost twice as much to counter it." He replied, nodding his head in agreement with himself as he watched the memory in his mind.

"Keep it up and I know you'll get there." She urged.

"Thanks Hinata, I couldn't have gotten this far without you… now maybe we should get Sasuke to baa-chan, he looks a little out of it." He commented while looking at the unconscious genin lying on the ground. Getting to his feet, he walked over to the downed Uchiha and threw the unconscious body over his shoulder to head back into the tower. While passing through the main part of the building where the teams would arrive, the pair caught a glimpse of the second team to finish as they were arriving.

A guy dressed in a strange black suit with all kinds of face paint on looked quite pleased while shouting at a tall blonde girl with a large fan in her hand. Behind them stood a shorter guy with red hair and a gourd on his back. His eyes were closed, like he had no care in the world, but had dark rings around his eyes like he hadn't slept in months.

"We're first, I know we are Temari." He ensured enthusiastically.

"We better be or you're getting it for taking such a long break." She angrily replied with a huff.

"But I really had to go." He protested.

"Shut up, or I'll kill you both." The third one spoke after the banter irritated him enough. His sleepless eyes slowly opened and he looked directly at the hanyou couple. For the first time in his life, he felt Shukaku tremble inside of him and he wanted to know the cause. With a new feeling of apprehension, the genin stepped past his other teammates and walked towards the pair, deeming them the source. The being inside him continued to urge for retreat the closer he got, further cementing his opinion of them.

"You beat us here, how? Who are you?" He asked

**"Be careful, that one is an unstable jinchuriki." **Kurama warned from his home in the sword.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. And you?"

"Gaara of the Sand. 'Mother' is afraid of you, just what are you?"

"Normally I wouldn't speak this so casually, but we do have something in common so I will tell you plainly. I have become a hanyou after combining with the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"You have full control?" He asked incredulously.

"More than that, all the powers are now mine; the kyuubi's conscience isn't in me."

"Can it be done to me?" He asked with a hopeful mind.

"I don't think so, well, not safely, but I'm sure there's other ways if we look."

"Forget it then… I will look forward to fighting you." Gaara turned back and took three steps before stopping again. "but if you do stumble across a way; let me know."

"I think that guy is a little crazy." Hinata whispered to her mate.

"Seems that way… But not completely." Naruto replied while setting Sasuke down next to the wall and headed back for a little more training. Meeting someone like him filled his desire to master his new ability.

* * *

end chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

"Tsunade." The busty Hokage looked over her shoulder, from the window overlooking the forest of death, towards the voice calling out to her. She wore a frown on her face when she saw the man who disappeared days ago after molesting her chest.

"Jiraiya… What brings you here you old letch?" She seethed.

"You know the group I was looking into?" He asked. It was a rhetorical question but one he decided to ask to bring up his next topic

"The Akatsuki?"

"Exactly… Well it seems my spy network came through with the location of their base in Amegakure, but when I got there, something was off…"

"Just get to the point." She told him while impatiently tapping her foot. She was always one for just the facts and Jiraiya's embellished stories were one of the many problems she had with the man; the other fifty were tied to his lecherous habits.

"Well… Ame is gone." Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"Just like I said, it is gone, destroyed, nonexistent. The whole village was razed."

"Any idea how or by whom?"

"Not as of yet… it was just too unusual. The neighboring villages and land owners saw no one come through the area, but to eliminate a whole village in the blink of an eye would require quite a large force. At least someone should have seen something; yet there was nothing."

"I see… and what of the Akatsuki?"

"Gone, just like Ame… It seems that Itachi was seen fleeing the area, but besides him, there was no trace of the others. The leader was supposedly in the village at that time, but there is no trace of him escaping. Whatever of whoever it was took out the whole of Akatsuki."

"You think it is a new enemy?"

"Possibly, but if it is… I've got shivers just thinking about it." Tsunade shuddered when he brought up the thought of an enemy worse than a group of 'S' class missing nins.

"When should we inform the Ame nin taking place in the chuunin exams?" She finally asked after moment of internal deliberation.

"Actually… I'm not 100% on this, but I think the village was destroyed before the genin were able to leave."

"What!? Are you thinking a possible infiltration?"

"I would approach it like that until I have more proof." He reluctantly replied. She looked back out the window before replying.

"Well, I'd like to have that proof before we turn them loose in the remaining exams. It is your job to come up with that information or I will proceed with the exam as planned."

"I'm on it." With that said, Jiraiya jumped onto the closest window sill and turned back. "Just make sure you mobilize all you can to guard the exams.

"I know! I am the Hokage after all. Now go." The old man waved sheepishly and leapt from the window to resume his intelligence gathering.

* * *

The following day, the hanyou pair stepped into Tsunade's makeshift office in the forest of death. They had just been summoned that morning, helping them to find something to occupy their time, other than training and each other.

"Take a seat you two." She urged. The couple got themselves situated and waited for the reason they were summoned to be revealed.

"Would you mind letting me in on the results of your training? I felt an incredible energy yesterday and immediately thought of you two." Naruto grinned shyly.

"Yeah, I was trying to master something, but don't quite have it yet. We've both figured out kitsune magic but there was a different power which I'm trying to use."

"So you figured out the kitsune techniques… Is there something you could show me?"

"Well, it isn't like the term 'magic' is properly used, so there isn't some trick but you get a neat understanding of chakra and you can even sense people from a distance. It basically augments all your normal techniques. There is one thing we could show you though…" He looked over to Hinata and she nodded in understanding. They both closed their eyes and opened them once they finished their technique. Tsunade gasped when she saw them.

"SenJutsu? You guys learned to use sage mode?"

"Sage mode?" They both asked confusedly.

"Right. It is an ability to absorb chakra from nature and use it internally like it is your own. It increases resiliency, recovery strength, basically everything."

"Sounds similar…"

"Is it possible that sage mode was created after studying the abilities of demons?" Hinata wondered.

**"Possible… I was quite young when the Rikodu Sennin gave me the power of the nine tails. I believe each technique you humans have has at least a root in the demon world."**

"I thought so…" She mumbled.

"Thought what?" Tsunade asked, seeing that she was removed from the conversation.

"Oh, sorry the Kyuubi said I was probably correct. Ninja use techniques most likely native to demons." Hinata replied

"If that is true, then are the summonings demons too?" The Hokage pondered out loud. She quickly went through a set of hand signs and summoned out a small slug, causing Naruto to snicker about his thought about Tsunade having a huge lion as a summon.

"Can it." She snorted.

"Katsuya."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Are you a demon?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Well, that settles …WHAT?"

"All summonings are demons." The slug replied like it was common knowledge and that it wasn't anything to hide.

"Wait, so why wasn't I aware of this before?" She asked her summon.

"You never asked."

"Hey slug thing…" Naruto started, not knowing what to call it since he was terrible with names.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Does that mean there are other hanyou as well? I'm sure with all these demons helping humans that there are more like us."

"I don't know much about the demon world, but we summonings are lesser demons, we don't have the ability to change into a humanoid form, so there is no way to do such with a human, nor do we find it a pleasing idea. "

"Yo, Kurama, why didn't you tell us summonings were demons first?" Naruto interrogated, thinking that it was something they really should have been aware of.

**"You didn't ask."**

"Yeah… thanks… for nothing."

"Um…" Hinata interrupted. "It is nice to talk and all, but I get the feeling that there is something bothering you Tsunade-sama." The blonde Hokage sighed and let her facial expression sink.

"You are very observant Hinata… There is something that is bothering me, but unfortunately I can't tell anyone about it just yet, but one thing is certain; something big is happening in the ninja world."

"What do you mean by 'something big'?" Naruto asked, sensing the seriousness behind her voice.

"Something changed the day you became hanyou. Even though I was away from Konoha, I still felt it. The both of you are important to the ninja world. Stay sharp."

"Is there anything immediate we should be keeping an eye out for?" Hinata asked, still worrying about Tsunade's demeanor and strange foreboding news.

"Possibly… I'll keep you informed as I know them."

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

"Yeah, thanks Baa-chan… If anyone shows up I'll kick their asses." Naruto yelled proudly. He stood up and presented his hand to Hinata to help her to her feet.

"I think I'll start training again… I'm so pumped right now." He revealed. Somehow the idea of being at the center of a worldwide change got his blood pumping and he couldn't sit any longer.

* * *

Later that day, an announcement rang out through the tower in into the forest of death around it, announcing the end of that section of the exams. The ninja within the tower's wall were instructed to meet in a room on the second floor. The hanyou pair heard the unmistakable sound, or shriek as it may be, of the two prominent fan girls fawning over Sasuke the moment he entered the designated room, making so they didn't have to locate him.

They snickered at how childish it now seemed from their more adult perspective. After opening the door and stepped inside, they were surprised to see that the second floor entrance led to a massive room stretching from the ground floor to the second with the second level containing a balcony to overlook the room with a set of stairs leading down at the end of the balcony level.

"Congratulations on passing the second part of this year's chuunin selection exam." Called out Tsunade with a cheery smile.

"Since we have a good sized amount of candidates who have made it to this point, we will be holding a tournament to half the count once more, so take a look around you… Anyone could be your next opponent."

The gathered ninja all started looking around at their competitors. Konoha had quite the showing with Hyuuga Neji, TenTen, Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Yamanaka Ino, Akamichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and of course Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata taking up well over half the ranks. Then there were the foreigners; Gaara, Temari, Kankuro from Suna and a team of unknown fighters from Ame for a total of 18 competitors.

"Now in this box in front of you, there are numbered lots, you will each draw a number from the box which will determine who your opponent is." All participants drew their numbers and were paired up on a large board at the front of the Room:

Nara Shikamaru vs. Inuzuka Kiba

TenTen vs. Yamanaka Ino

Hyuuga Neji vs. Kankuro

Rock Lee vs. Kitsuke Tama

Hyuuga Hinata vs. Akamichi Choji

Haruno Sakura vs. Uchiha Sasuke

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Aburame Shino

Nogi Naguru vs. Gaara

Temari vs. Nogi Kougeki

"Now everyone, get some rest and prepare for your challenge tomorrow morning…. Dismissed!" The young ninja immediately turned and started to size up their opponents before they filed out of the room. Naruto and Hinata waited for all to leave when the final three from Ame made their way past them. They all paused and stared at the couple with hate in their eyes before moving by them.

**"They were…"**

"Yeah, I know Kurama…" Naruto replied, watching the trio disappear out of the room.

"This may be a bigger fight than we thought." Hinata nodded in agreement with her mate's statement; she too felt the strange presence of the three and was unsure of the forthcoming battles.

The pair headed back out of the room when they saw the green clad over active ninja, Rock Lee, facing off against Sasuke with Sakura watching the two, well actually one. It was strange to see a fight which could possibly disqualify them start to take place.

"Fight me Sasuke, I will show you just what the strength of hard work can accomplish!" Lee cried out before winking at Sakura, effectively grossing her out.

"You're pathetic… Save it for the tournament… you'll need it." Sasuke replied before scoffing and walking away from the ninja. Lee was angered and took off after him. In a flash he was behind the Uchiha, surprising him with speed.

'He's fast.' Sasuke admitted to himself. He twisted around just in time to see a bandaged fist just inches from his face. His eyes widened at the fact that he was even faster than he initially thought, but upon further inspection, the most surprising part was the hand around his wrist that stopped the attack. That person had to be faster than both of them and extremely strong to stop that attack with such precision.

"Lee, Sasuke isn't someone to worry about right now… There is someone else you should be worrying about." Lee looked directly at the blue eyes looking at him and nodded.

"OK Naruto-kun… I shall forgo this battle for now and focus on the one coming up… I shall win or I will do run 300 laps around Konoha!"

"That's fine." Naruto replied before releasing his wrist. "And Lee… be careful tomorrow… those Ame guys aren't pushovers."

"I shall do my best!" Lee took off, leaving Sasuke and Naruto behind.

"How the hell did you progress so quickly?" The Uchiha asked, still being bothered by the fact that he stepped in faster than he could defend himself and made it look easy.

"Well, let's just say that I unlocked my bloodline…"

"Fine… If you don't want to tell me, I will beat it out of you later." Sasuke silently turned and stormed away. Sakura looked at Naruto as well and was confused. The person she saw was not the one she was irritated with months ago, yet he was supposed to be. The enigma of who this guy was started to bother her. For a slight moment she thought that maybe she shouldn't have been so mean to him but quickly shrugged it off and ran after Sasuke.

"Naruto-kun… Should we tell Tsunade about them? The Ame nin?" Hinata wondered, knowing what the three actually were.

"We shouldn't have to… This was what she was warning us about earlier." She accepted his explanation and walked with him to their room in the tower. The room wasn't bad for a temporary sleeping quarters. It had a simple bed on one side and a large chair on the other; not much else was required.

Naruto slumped back into the chair and looked up at his beautiful mate and smiled. She returned the simple gesture and let out a squeak when she was suddenly pulled down onto his lap. She sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder while his hand lightly stroked her back.

"I've been thinking…" Naruto interrupted the peaceful setting.

"About?" She asked.

"You."

"Me?" She asked, wondering just what it was that he was thinking about. He nodded to confirm her question.

"Yeah, I was trying to remember everything about you. Your eyes are what I remember most. I remember those eyes watching me when I was still in the orphanage and was out doing my usual pranks. Then it was those same eyes that looked up at me when I stopped a couple bullies from hurting a girl a little later. When I really concentrate, I remember those eyes were looking at me all the time; I just never really made the connection that that strange girl in academy was the owner of those watching eyes. I'm sure I knew somewhere inside of me, but not consciously… Why did you always watch me?"

"I watched you because you were like me. You were treated as the outcast of the village and I was the clan heiress who couldn't do anything right. Our parents weren't there for us; yours were gone as was my mother, and well, my father didn't act like one should have. With those things being so similar, I couldn't figure out how you kept going, always confident in yourself and striving to be the Hokage. In this area I was your opposite and I wanted to find out what your secret was so that I may copy it. After years of studying you, I realized that it wasn't something I could copy, so I just wanted to get closer to you in hopes that it would wear off on me instead."

"You did realize that most of that was all an act?" She nodded and giggled.

"Of course… That was why I wanted to get closer to you… I always hoped that one day I could help make that sunny disposition real. There was one thing that was always real, though; it was your hope. You never doubted that you were going to be Hokage and you made others believe in their dreams."

"I don't think I was an influence on anyone." He countered.

"You were to me." She told him with a kiss to the neck for emphasis. "I can assure you that everyone will see you in a different light soon. You do know the final part of chuunin exams takes place in front of the village, right?"

"Huh? It does?" He asked, obviously not knowing that particular detail.

"Sure does… Once everyone can see you now, there is no way that they can treat you like you once were."

"Well, if you say so." He relented

"I do…" The two of them sat there while Naruto thought about everything she said. With everything he had been through and remembered, his mind was in a mess but there was one thing that held it all together, and that was the woman in his lap.

"Hey Hinata?" There was no response other than her steady breathing, indicating she was asleep. "Oh well… I love you Hinata." He whispered in her ear and closed his eyes, content just with her sleeping in his arms.

* * *

The following morning, Naruto woke with a pain in his neck from sleeping awkwardly on the chair, but the pain quickly subsided when he looked at Hinata's still sleeping form. She still had that cute smile gracing her lips which seemed to glisten in the dawn's light.

"Hinata?" Naruto called out while gently poking her soft cheek. She groaned and batted his hand away before nestling back in his arms.

"Come on Hinata, Its time to wake up."

"I don't wanna." She grumbled. She sleepily reached her arm around the back of the blonde's head and pulled herself up so she could kiss his cheek.

"Just a few more minutes?" She begged after settling back in his grasp.

"Sorry, not this time." He had a mischievous grin on his face when he quickly stood and tossed her light body onto the empty bed, causing her to shriek all the way to the soft mattress.

"NOT FUNNY!" She shouted from the bed. Her hair was now all messed up and tangled, covering most of her face. She grunted and stormed off to the bathroom to get ready for the day and slammed the door behind her. She came out with a frown on her face and sat in the chair with a huff. Her antics were ignored as he passed her and took his turn. He was in for less than half the time as she was and came out shivering.

"Hey, you used all the hot water." He protested. This time she was the one with the mischievous smile.

"Oh, was that me? Well, maybe you could have been nicer to me and we could have taken a shower together."

"Well excuse me, but had I been nicer to you, we'd still be doing _other_ things caused by that coed shower and we wouldn't make it to the exam on time." She blushed a little and still held her face in a pout.

"Our matches aren't until later, so we would have had time for a round or two." She muttered. She was gently pulled to her feet and saw two brilliant blue spheres look into her eyes. She tried to keep the frown on her face, but the longer he looked at her, the less she could. Within just a few moments, she was smiling and holding onto his arm as he led her out towards the exam room; she could never stay upset with him long anyways.

* * *

They were the last ones to arrive at in the room, and were very surprised to see that all the jonin sensei were in attendance, except of course ero-sennin, Jiraiya who was still away on reconnaissance. Everyone was situated at a different spot, leaning on the balcony railing to overlook the floor where the battles were to take place.

"Well then, let's get started." Shouted a sickly looking man who seemed to cough way too much for his young age.

"My name is Gekko Hayate… and I will be the proctor… for this match. The rules are simple: subdue your opponent… As a chuunin… you should be able to know how much force is necessary to take out your opponent… without the loss of life. Many missions you will be a part of will require capture, so it is a required ability. Of course… you can always force your opponent to surrender as an alternative. Any questions?" He looked around the room and saw no takers, so he proceeded.

"Alright, first up is Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba, will the two fighters please come down."

"Yeah! Let's go Akamaru!" The energetic Inuzuka boy shouted.

"Ruff!" Replied the small white puppy as it rode on his head down to the floor below.

"Troublesome guy, troublesome dog… this is such a drag." Shikamaru muttered while slowly walking down the stairs.

"The first preliminary match is Nara Shikamaru vs. Inuzuka Kiba: Fighters ready?" Hayate paused for a moment to confirm it with the fighters. "Begin!"

"Alright, let's get the lazy ass!" Kiba took off as quick as his legs could take him, bolting straight forward. Shikamaru stood lazily and waited until the Inuzuka was almost on him when he pulled his hands together.

"Kagemane no Jutsu, Successful." He muttered, stopping Kiba in his tracks. Immediately after having his movement stopped, Akamaru jumped from inside his jacket growling, covered in a reddish color on his fur. Shikamaru was caught off guard by the speed increase of the pup and was unaware of the fact that Akamaru was able to take special soldier pills to increase his fighting speed and strength. He silently cursed his short sight and had to quickly move to avoid being bitten. Diving forward, he had to roll to his side, effectively breaking his jutsu and releasing Kiba.

"Way to go Akamaru! Now let's go!" Akamaru jumped onto Kiba's back. "Jūjin Bunshin." With a plume of smoke, there were now two Kibas, each with a feral look about them. They jumped apart from each other and landed on the ground to confuse their opponent.

"Kagemane no Jutsu, Successful." Kiba looked up in surprise. He failed to notice that the previous shadow hadn't ever been fully released, but was still attached to him, just not restricting his movements... It was all a ploy; Shikamaru was just waiting for the perfect time to extent the shadow from Kiba, onto Akamaru to trap them both. Now with them both ensnared, Shikamaru ran between them with his face strangely leading the way. The pair was forced to follow suit and took off running and could do nothing about the shortening distance to the opposite wall. With a loud crack; the two Kiba's ran face first into the concrete wall without a single reflex and were knocked out cold, Akamaru turned back into his original form indicating the loss of consciousness.

"Winner! Nara Shikamaru." Shikamaru let out a sigh and walked back up into the balcony while medics dragged the Inuzukas off the floor. He seemed bored as he leaned against the railing next to Naruto, barely making eye contact.

"You are still Naruto, right?" He asked, not showing his confusion with the change of appearance in him and Hinata.

"Well, you could always call me by my title." Naruto threw back with a smile. The blonde's grin got even wider when the lazy genin turned to him.

"And what title is that?"

"The Next Hokage!" For a slight second, Shikamaru's emotionless face turned up into a smile before he turned his attention back onto the floor below.

"Yeah… You're still you." He mumbled.

"Will the next two fighters take the stage?" Hayate called out. Soon the two kunoichi maneuvered onto the floor. The long haired blonde put on her best intimidating face while the other girl kept her usual smile on.

"So who do you think will win?" Shikamaru asked.

"That all depends on the first attack." Naruto told him, getting his attention once more.

"If Ino can avoid TenTen's first barrage, she'll have it, but that won't be easy."

"You know the other one?" The Nara asked, not recognizing the girl, but she did seem familiar.

"She's the daughter of the blacksmith, ranged weapons are her forte." Hinata chimed in.

"Oh, I see… that _will_ be a challenge for Ino."

* * *

"TenTen vs. Yamanaka Ino… competitors ready? Begin!"

TenTen immediately jumped back and took out a small scroll from her pocket and stretched it open in front of her. With the application of chakra, kunai and shuriken appeared and flew towards Ino.

"Long range… crap this is bad." Ino mumbled to herself. She knew that her only real jutsu was her mind transfer, but it was slow and mid-range. Unless she could catch TenTen by surprise when closing the distance, she knew she was going to lose. Ino pulled out a kunai from her pouch and started deflecting the kunai raining down on her while expertly dodging the shuriken while attempting to inch closer in the mayhem. TenTen suddenly stopped the barrage and knelt on the ground, setting two scrolls vertically in front of her.

"This is it!" Ino shouted in her mind and moved to close in.

* * *

"Looks like Ino made it past the first barrage." Shikamaru observed.

"That… wasn't TenTen's barrage." Hinata revealed with a knowing smile. Naruto looked over and chuckled when he felt a memory that wasn't his own appear in his mind. As it would seem, TenTen and Hinata had trained together a few times in the past weeks When TenTen was outside of Konoha. She would always disappear some days, and this was apparently the reason. Naruto had never questioned her as to where she was going since he figured everyone needed their personal space.

Ino got into range and held out her hands only to see TenTen suddenly jump with the explosion from the scrolls. The scroll spiraled upward with TenTen in the middle when a massive barrage of any and every weapon imaginable launched out from the scroll. Ino looked up to see the wall of sharpened blades hail down towards her. Her eyes got wide and fear seeped from her body.

"I give up!" She cried before burying her face in her hands, wishing for time to stop.

"Move you idiot!" TenTen shouted, while pulling back the few weapons she had control of, but there were far too many still coming for her to stop. Asuma drew his trench blades and moved to intercept when Kurenai stooped him with a quick glance to her side. A large crack rang out from the balcony; a mangled and broken railing hanging where the young Hyuuga woman was once standing.

"Kaiten!" Echoed through the room. For most in the room, a sphere of chakra suddenly appeared around Ino and all the blades, when they contacted the sphere, and were deflected downwards and stuck into the ground. TenTen let out a relieved sigh.

When Ino opened her eyes, all she saw around her was blades, kunai and shuriken sticking out of the ground and only a small circle around her was clear of weapons. She looked up and saw the cream and lavender jacket of Hinata rustling in front of her.

"The moment you fear your opponent and take your eyes off of them is the moment they win. I can attest to the validity of that with my own experience and failures." Hinata turned around and offered her hand to Ino with a gentle smile.

"Hinata… what really happened to you?" The blonde kunoichi asked in a whisper; there was no way in her mind that this woman was once that shy weirdo. The woman just continued to smile and nodded toward Naruto.

"When you have someone to fight for; that is when you truly become strong." Hinata helped Ino to her feet before maneuvering through the weapon littered grounds. TenTen smiled at her, quietly thanking her for protecting the Yamanaka.

"After deliberation…" Hayate announced. "Yamanaka Ino has lost and TenTen has been disqualified for endangering the life of a fellow shinobi. Thanks to the quick reflexes of Hyuuga Hinata, no life has been lost."

"Good Job Hinata!" Naruto shouted while grabbing her in a big hug. Her eyes closed as she felt secure in his arms.

"Hinata-sama." Neji interrupted. He had a slight smile on his peaceful looking face. Up until the removal of the seal, he had looked like he had bad indigestion whenever she saw him.

"You have improved greatly… Your father should be proud."

"Thank you, Neji-nii-san." She reluctantly pulled herself from Naruto's warm embrace and returned to her spot by the damaged railing. After TenTen finished embarrassingly picking up her assortment of weapons, Hayate took his position at the front of the room once more.

"Hyuuga Neji and Kankuro, please come down."

"You better win." Gaara mentioned in his usually raspy voice.

"Hey, don't worry, I've got this." He assured. He made his way to the floor below where Neji was waiting for him, eager for a fight.

"Keep it clean… and no killing." The proctor reminded.

"Don't worry, I won't kill him. He'll just wish he was dead." Kankuro replied as he faced his opponent.

"Say that after you've beaten my Byakugan." Neji countered. He forced chakra to his eyes and immediately veins popped from his temples and he settled into his stance.

"Fighters ready… Begin!"

Kankuro took his bandaged tool off his back and placed it on the ground in front of him. Immediately Neji attacked, just glancing a blow off the bandaged object. Kankuro's left side went limp. He hurriedly untied the object, revealing… himself. The one from the bandages jumped behind the other, causing the life to comeback into his left side.

"I haven't heard much about the byakugan, but I guess the rumors are correct, they can see through solid objects. No one could tell the difference between me and Karasu before."

"You knew that and you still tried to hide away your real body? What a pathetic attempt."

"I am a puppet user, I need to try anything." Neji smirked, he knew that Kankuro was preparing for a loss, just by the ninja's eye movements. Almost all have heard of the Hyuuga's ability to see chakra and that spells defeat for puppet users. Neji took off towards his enemy and ducked under one slash from Karasu, tapped the other out of the way, skidding around the puppet. Kankuro tried to back away when Neji struck a spot on his left wrist. His chakra strings faded from that hand, resulting in Karasu losing mobility again.

"You are now within range…" Neji's lips curled up into something almost like a smile. "Hakke Rokujūyon Shō: 2… 4… 8…" Neji started striking Kankuro with an increased fury of hits, closing off his ability to mold chakra hit by hit. "…64 Palms!" Karasu slumped to the ground, leaving Kankuro barely able to walk.

"Sorry Gaara…" He managed to mouth before falling on his knees, unconscious.

"Winner… Hyuuga Neji." Neji straightened his sleeves and headed back for the balcony like it was just a simple exercise.

"Let's see what you got Lee." He egged while passing the green ninja. Lee's eyes nearly started on fire and he got energized for the next fight.

"I will come back victorious!" He shouted with a thumb held in the air.

"Go for it Lee!" Gai shouted to his student.

"Yes, Gai –sensei!"

"Alright; Rock Lee vs. Kitsuke Tama…" The jonin looked around and saw no one else standing against the green clad boy. "Kitsuke Tama… Please come to the ring."

"This isn't going to be good." Naruto muttered to his mate at his side. She nervously held her hand to her lips and nodded.

"Kitsuke Tama?" Hayate called out again, only to be tapped on the shoulder by the cloaked ninja. You couldn't really tell much about the guy, only that he had dark eyes with a black shadow above them and equally dark hair with a pale complexion. The jonin was startled by the contact and whirled around to meet him.

"Ah, there you are… Your fight is about to start." The ninja nodded and proceeded to the opposite side of the floor and faced Lee. The energetic shinobi punched the air a few times to psych himself up before settling into his fighting stance.

"Fighters ready?" Tama didn't move nor did he take any stance. Hayate looked at him and shrugged. "Begin!"

Lee took off in a flash, throwing out a powerful roundhouse kick. Tama just leisurely lifted his arm and let the leg strike glance off his forearm without moving an inch. This show of uncaring strength got Lee fired up even more as he sent out a flurry of punches and kicks. The left hand of the Ame ninja started moving even faster with the increased attacks to block each and every attack. Seeing this, Lee jumped back and looked up at his sensei. Gai smiled and held up his thumb.

"Do it Lee, no limits!" The Taijutsu student grinned and leaned down to start fiddling with his ankles.

"I didn't know Lee wore weights." Naruto commented out loud, recognizing what he was doing..

Lee held out the orange colored weights and let them drop to the sound of a thunderous bang, showing just how heavy they were. As soon as they hit the ground, Lee disappeared once more, appearing again when his fist stopped just an inch from Tama's nose by way of the Ame ninja's hand. Lee was greatly surprised by his ability to keep up and kicked off of the ninja.

"You are a formidable opponent, I respect your abilities, but I'm afraid I cannot let you beat me." Lee announced while taking a difference stance. Kakashi noticed the obvious technique and strted to get angry at the blatant disregard for his pupil's life..

"Gai, you didn't!?"

"Oh Kakashi, my eternal rival, I did. I was so moved by Lee that I have to provide him with a tool to surpass his inherent limitations."

"That's insane… Just how many can he open?"

"Five…"

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked as he stepped into the conversation. Kakashi's face went back to normal and excused himself from the conversation after Naruto entered it.

"The eight celestial gates, each can increase your power dramatically. It does have its risks but the heavily trained body of Lee can hold up to it."

"Gate of life… Open!" The whole room was shocked to see Lee's skin turn red as he gained an enormous amount of strength. "Gate of Pain… Open!" With the new power raging in his body, he blinked out of existence. A shock wave blasted outward when his fist contacted the crossed arms of Tama blocking his attack. Lee jumped back again to gain distance for his next attack.

"Gate of Closing… Open!" He bolted forward once again and finally was fast enough to make it under the block of the Ame nin and plowed his fist into him, sending his body rocketing into the wall. Lee chased after him and rained down a thunder of hits into the shinobi's body and face, making the jonin contemplate stepping in, but after seeing the strength of the Ame nin previously, he decided to hold off.

Lee decided that it was enough for any body to take and retreated to the other side of the floor, but still remained on guard. As the dust settled, the form of Tama appeared while he crawled out from the damaged wall. The hood of his cloak was pushed back giving everyone a view of his black shadowed eyes.

"I see you want more!" Lee taunted.

"Senjutsu!?" Gai questioned himself when he noticed the distinct marks left by the ability on the ninja's face.

Lee took off towards the ninja… "Wait Lee!" Gai shouted, but it was too late.

Tama waited for the punch to reach where his face should have been when he just tilted his head enough for the punch to pass by his cheek. With that slight opening, he rammed his fist into Lee's stomach. The blast from the powerful punch launched Lee into the air, smashing hard into the high ceiling overhead. His eyes blanked out and his body fell straight to the ground without any attempt to guard against the fall. Tama moved forward and cocked his fist back to deliver another blow when Gai arrived to block his path. He threw the punch anyways and was surprised to see the jonin grab it in his hand and effortlessly stop it.

"Winner! Kitsuke Tama!" Hayate called out. Initially he was going to disqualify the Ame ninja for excessive force, but he never got to show his true intention before Gai interfered, so he had to let it slide. Gai sighed when the shinobi flipped his hood back over his head and jumped back onto the balcony with the rest of his team.

"Tsunade-sama." Gai called out, to gain the aid of the talented medic. She stood and walked up to his side to help drag Lee out of the room. Once out of sight, they set Lee up on an examining table.

"Why did you call me out here?" The Hokage wondered after seeing that the boy's life wasn't in danger and was just simple knocked unconscious.

"I'm sure you saw it too, that Ame ninja was using senjutsu." Gai held out his hand to here where she gasped upon seeing it. His digits were clearly broken and deformed just from stopping the one punch. She was amazed at what damage was done to Gai and immediately started in on healing it.

"I think we should cancel the rest of the preliminaries." He suggested while the pain in his hand started to subside.

"We can't do that just yet. There is nothing illegal about knowing senjutsu, so we much be diplomatic about it; besides, two of our own genin know senjutsu as well." His eyes now where the ones widening in surprise.

"OK, I'll take your lead on this." Tsunade smiled and finished her healing. Gai closed and opened his hand, getting used to the feeling of it after the healing and was quite happy to feel the pain fade.

"Just to be clear… It is those two who know senjutsu, right?"

"Who else?" Tsunade turned and walked back out into the exam room just as the maintenance crew finished picking up the rubble left by the previous fight.

"Hyuuga Hinata vs. Akamichi Choji." The proctor announced one Tsunade sat in her chair. The two were quickly in the middle of the floor. Choji was finishing off the last of his bag of potato chips when he looked to the proctor, who had his hands in the air.

"Begin!" Choji looked fired up as he crumpled his empty bag of chips and tossed it to the side.

"Before we start…" Hinata interrupted. "I just want to say that I admire how you can fight with your body the way it is. When I gained a lot of weight and realized how difficult it was to move, I felt that you didn't get enough credit for your abilities… You are a great shinobi." The fire died down a little from the plump ninja's face after hearing her kind words.

"T…Thank you… aside from Shikamaru, Asuma-sensei and my family, you are the only one to tell me that… I am thankful, but will still defeat you." Hinata smiled after hearing his words and backed up, falling into her fighting stance.

"Don't expect a win just because I'm a girl."

"I wouldn't think of it… My mom kicks my ass as it is." She giggled at his way of putting it and decided that he was a really good guy… it was going to be too bad that he'd never get the opportunity to be chuunin this time around.

"Baika no Jutsu… Choji drastically plumped up in size and tucked his head into his arms. "Nikudan Sensha." Once in a ball like state, he started rolling towards Hinata in an obvious attempt to flatten her with his size and weight. This type of attack was the wrong style to use against the gentle fist. Right as he was about to contact her, she spun in a tight arc.

"Kaiten!" The sudden rotating shell of chakra slowed his rotation and popped him into the air slightly. Right as he was passing over head, her rotation stopped and she swung an empowered palm straight to his midsection. His large abdomen almost instantly shrank as she disrupted his ability with her own chakra. He flailed his arms helplessly as he struck down onto the ground. Hinata jumped to his side and held a kunai to his throat.

"Matching you against a Hyuuga was just a bad draw." Choji nodded in agreement and conceded.

"Winner, Hyuuga Hinata." Announced the proctor seeing that the Akamichi's will to fight was crushed and there was no way out from under the kunai. Hinata held out her hand and helped the young shinobi to his feet before running off to meet Naruto on the balcony.

"This next fight is going to be pathetic." Naruto mentioned after letting his mate out of another hug.

"Probably… I'm just embarrassed to see how Sakura is going to act." Naruto nodded in agreement.

The next two fighters took the floor, one sporting long pink hair, and the other with an emotionless face.

"You better not just give up right off the bat." Sasuke told her directly. Her shoulders slumped… this was exactly what she was planning on. She thought about her next plan and soon started to grin. Sure she was going to lose badly, but the new idea would make it all worth it.

"Haruno Sakura vs. Uchiha Sasuke." Hayate had wanted to pause once more for suspense but after looking over the match up sighed, and with a bored voice he called for the start. "Begin…"

"Sasuke didn't even bother getting into a stance or even taking things seriously. To him this was just another training match from academy; one where he didn't even need to try to win. Sakura took this chance to stare at him carefully. She had done this many times before, but this was the first time he patiently stood and allowed her to. Her lips curled up into a euphoric smile but remained motionless.

"Move it five-head!" Ino shouted from the balcony. Her teammates looked at her with a strange look on their faces at the weird comment.

"What? I just figured hers was bigger than a normal forehead… get it? Four-head; five-head... four plus 1 equals 5…" Shikamaru just snorted and lazily went back to watching the fight that was supposed to be taking place below.

"Well I guess I was wrong…" Sasuke stated finally breaking the silence. Sakura's face brightened as she came back to the real world.

"Naruto wasn't the worst ninja in academy… you are." Sakura's smile dropped when she heard those words, sure she was stuck on him, but there was no way she could be a worse ninja than the blonde who didn't even graduate academy and needed to become a ninja in a special way. Looking older doesn't make him better either… She growled at the thought but knew that there was no way she could beat Sasuke, but at least would aim to get something out of losing. She pulled a kunai out from her pouch and carelessly charged at the Uchiha who was looking just a touch more entertained.

Right as she got within range, Sasuke grabbed her wrist without a second thought. Sakura didn't look surprised though and calmly dropped the kunai with a smile on her face. Wondering if she had some clever trick up her sleeve, He loosened his grip just enough in his contemplation to allow her to pull back her arm just slight, placing her hand in his when he finally reacted to her movement and tightened his grip.

"Yeah, take that Pig!" Sakura shouted to her rival in the balcony while she held up her hand with Sasuke's tightly enclosed around it.

"Yeah, first to hold his hand!" She shouted with emphasis. Within a few seconds, Sasuke released her with an embarrassed expression, before sweeping his hand around in an arc and struck the back of her neck, knocking her out cold. As surprising as the whole fight was, it got even more surprising when her unconscious body never hit the ground. The Uchiha tried his best to remain stoic as he tried to show no emotion while holding the pink haired girl off the ground. Once he realized exactly what he was doing, he quickly let her drop with a dull thunk.

"Uh… Winner: Uchiha Sasuke." Everyone remained silent after the match, well, all except for Naruto who was laughing at the strange scene pan out.

"Shut it." Sasuke mumbled while passing by him and took his spot leaning against the wall behind them. Once Sakura was pulled off the floor and brought to the infirmary, Hayate motioned for the next competitors.

"Sabaku no Gaara and Nogi Naguru… you're next."

Gaara walked down the long staircase, with the cloaked ninja following behind him. The red haired ninja was finding it quite intriguing that his autonomous sand defense was buzzing with activity even before the match was set to begin. For once, he actually thought that it wouldn't be wise to be overly confident in his match.

"This match with be a tough one." Naruto commented to a nodding Hinata. Over hearing the conversation, Temari moved behind them and placed herself between the two.

"Tough? You're kidding right? Gaara has been a shinobi of the sand for about 2 years now and every single one of his missions were completed successfully… and get this; he didn't even receive a scratch on any of them! Gaara has this one in the bag, there is not a genin around who can stand on even ground with him."

"Heh, watch the fight, then you'll know what I'm talking about… The last two ninja from Ame aren't as strong as that Tama guy, but they aren't to be ignored." Naruto informed before training his eyes upon the match ready to start below.

"Do you know those ninja?" Temari wondered out loud. Hinata only slightly nodded. It was true that they were sure what they were, but have never really met them before. Hayate loudly coughed and hacked for many seconds before calming down and stepping out to start the fight.

"Competitors ready… Begin!"

The cork of Gaara's gourd made a loud pop as it flew out of the receptacle. He looked at the cloaked ninja and couldn't see his face, but not like it really mattered. Suddenly the sand nin saw a twitch in the leg muscles of his opponent and in a surprisingly fast jump, he was closing in. An obvious punch was thrown by the ninja from Ame. Gaara didn't even try to dodge as it came for him, but he did watch with an intensity his siblings haven't seen before. Right before the punch was to contact Gaara's face a pile of sand appeared to block his attack, stopping the fist from contacting him.

"The sand demon, eh?" Commented Naguru. He opened his hand and swiped a handful of the sand, despite the reluctance of the sand itself. The sand tried to pry its way out of the closed hand until his fist was covered in light blue flames. He turned his hand to the side and let the sand pour onto the ground. Gaara's eyes widened when he realized he had no control of that sand, all the chakra which was infused into each and every particle was gone. Gaara's face returned back to normal and a swish of sand swept across the lifeless sand, causing it to spring back to life. He carefully watched the Ame ninja, especially the flamed fists, and concentrated on blocking the punch coming his way again.

As the flamed fist came close, a large wave of sand erupted from the gourd, blocking its path. His opponent's fist contacted the sand, but didn't stop like expected. Gaara was shocked when he saw the fist appear on the other side of his sand wall and strike his cheek. Luckily for him it didn't have much kinetic energy left in it after passing through so much sand, so it just barely scuffed his protective sand armor. Gaara watched, confused with the progression and Naguru retrieved his fist, revealing a clear hole in the sand barrier which tried to block him. He then looked down and noticed the sand falling from his cheek where he was contacted. The sand ninja's face grew dark and angered at being touched so effortlessly and rendering his armor useless.

Massive amounts of sand flowed out from him, engulfing his opponent in the heavy particles. The sand swarmed around Naguru and covered his body completely despite his attempts to swat away the sand with his flamed fist. Gaara raised his hand.

"Sabaku Sōsō (Desert Funeral)." He closed his hand, issuing the order to crush the ninja held tightly within. He felt, and heard, a crunch from within the sand and allowed his angered expression to fade back into the tired, emotionless visage he normally wore.

"Looks like I'm disqualified." He muttered to Hayate as the sand started to gather back into his gourd.

"Gaara, lookout!" Naruto quickly shouted.

The red haired boy turned and saw what he realized was Naguru, now without his cloak. His hair was a copper color with streaks of silvery grey mixed in. His eyes were surrounded with the same copper color as his hair. He reached out with one hand and gripped the gourd on Gaara's back and forcefully threw Gaara across the floor and sent him smashing into the opposing wall about 50 feet away. The gourd remained in the Ame ninja's hand after tossing Gaara. He looked at it before crushing it between his hand and the floor of the room. He looked back up with his pale face, palm still resting on the sandy ground. The sand which was now scattered across the floor flew up in a plume of dust as Naguru pushed off of the ground and ran at top speed towards Gaara.

The red haired ninja was just pulling himself from the wall when he saw the Ame ninja was closing in fast. Gaara moved to counter with his sand, only to realize that the majority of it was now rendered useless. Using what he could to shield from the attack, he felt a hand grip his face through the sand, pulling him off his feet. Naguru held him in the air for mere seconds before twisting to his side and thrusting him to the ground like he did the gourd. A pillow of sand appeared right as Gaara's head contacted the ground, preventing any serious injury and kept him barely conscious. Naguru stood over him and the color faded from his eyelids.

"Proctor; call it." He ordered. Gaara was pissed and moved to put himself to sleep to let out Shukaku, only to feel feet pressing down on his arms, preventing him from executing his technique.

"Does the fighter concede?" Hayate asked Gaara. He shook his head…

"Of course not! I'm going to kill him!" Right after, a thunderous crack rang out as a fist smashed into the ground, cracking the floor up to 4 feet away.

"I said call it, or the next one will be to his face." Naguru knew of the Shukaku's instability and knew he had to take him down while he was still conscious, or face a fight with the demon itself which would spoil the reason for being there. Hayate shook his head.

"If you cannot stand after a count of 10, I will deem you unable to battle… 1…2…" Gaara struggled to get free, but his chakra seemed to not be able to help him. He cursed the fact that he only had sand techniques and they had no effect on this ninja.

"9… 10… Gaara is unable to continue: the winner is Nogi Naguru." Naguru nodded in acceptance while grabbing Gaara by his shirt. Adding insult to injury, he hurled him at Naruto in an attempt to call out the blonde. Temari hurriedly intercepted her younger brother and caught him, bringing him to rest on the floor of the balcony. He struggled to stand, but was helped to his feet by Temari and Naruto. Gaara stared at the orange clad hanyou and sighed.

"They are of your kind, aren't they?" He asked, finally able to discern where he felt a similar chakra to that which so efficiently defeated him.

"They are… But I don't know what they want."

"I do… the same thing as I do: to fight you." Gaara pushed Naruto's hand off of him and regained his balance. Turning towards his sister he grumbled almost inaudibly.

"Temari… when it is your turn… forfeit." Her eyes doubled in size at his clear order. Deep in her mind she was questioning just what it was that he felt in the battle that she couldn't understand. Gaara would never let up in a fight and he seemed just so utterly defeated; it really started to get to her, causing her to shake from the unknown source of fear.

"We will have a 30 minute intermission while we clean up all the sand." Hayate called out after the first few sweeps of the floor resulted in little action. Gaara walked towards the exit before pausing and raising his hand into the air. Whisps of sand left his hand and settled on the pile on the ground. Soon the wind swirled around and the sand went airborne towards Gaara. It swirled and tightly compacted together until the form of the gourd was recreated from the sand and the rest of the sand disappeared inside of it.

"Uzumaki… I expect you to finish these guys in the finals." He turned back and exited the small makeshift arena. Seeing the floor was now clear Hayate moved onto the next match.

"Uzumaki Naruto vs. Shino Aburame." Shino straightened his back and adjusted his sunglasses.

"I'll pass." The room was shocked and they all showed it. Hayate looked to him for a reasoning, but got none; Shino just continued to stand as emotionless as ever.

"By forfeit; Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"What? Hell no, I want to fight" He shouted in protest. Shino adjusted his sunglasses once more, making the blonde's face brighten, but instead of heading for the floor, he walked towards the exit. He stopped next to Naruto and looked him in the eyes.

"The fights are done for today, there is no point in fighting a battle…" Then he switched to looking at Temari to finish. "…in which you are guaranteed to lose." He set his hand on Naruto's shoulder and nodded, showing that his decision was correct. A few of his insects crawled off of the shoulder of the hanyou and joined Shino, indicating that he had insects on him for quite some time. He lifted his hand and headed out the exit.

"Temari vs Nogi Kougeki."

"I…" Temari started with a shaky voice. She had never backed down from a fight, but there was definitely something bothering Gaara and if it was something that Gaara wouldn't face, then what could she do? She then thought about what Shino was clearly telling her…'you are guaranteed to lose.'

"I forfeit." She hung her head in defeat and headed for the exit as well. It would still be a little while before Kankuro would be ready to leave the infirmary, so she opted to leave and collect her thoughts, and maybe question Gaara on just what was going on. Hayate shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I suppose that is it for the preliminaries… We will now randomly choose the pairings for the finals which take place in a week. Please watch the board above me for the matching. Prepare for your mission wisely."

The said board had room for 10 names, separated into pairs, but, just the top 4 pairs were randomly flipping through names. Soon the names started slowing and with an echoing gong, they all stopped on the final sets:

Neji vs. Shikamaru

Naruto vs Kougeki

Sasuke vs. Naguru

Hinata vs. Tama

It was mostly Konoha ninja versus the ninja trio from Ame. Quite the strange turn of events, but to a few in the know, it was mostly how it was expected to proceed. After declaring the matches, the genin were allowed to exit the tower and return to the village of Konoha.

"Hey Hinata, do you want to train some more once we get out of here? I'm thinking that after seeing the fight with Gaara that maybe we should just be sure we've done everything possible." Naruto asked as they traveled through the corridor which led safely out of the forest of death.

"I think that is wise… They kind of make me nervous." She replied.

"A little bit, don't they… well you know what can cure that right?"

"Ramen?" She asked with a knowing smile, underscored by the hunger in her eyes. His answer came in the form of a large grin from ear to ear. She let out a small satisfied sigh upon seeing that genuine smile of his again. For her there was nothing more stimulating than his true smile.

* * *

end chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

The following day, Kakashi was giving Sasuke a few pointers at their usual training grounds near the outskirts of Konoha when an intruder interrupted their training session. They both looked up to see a man limping towards them with a tattered robe adorned with red clouds upon it. The collar was still high, blocking most of his facial features, but the two of them could instantly sense the presence of the other Uchiha.

"Itachi" Sasuke growled and cursed under his breath before holding out his right hand, ready to execute the chidori. Kakashi held out his hand to stop him and raised his hitai-ate to reveal his sharingan eye. It was as the jonin thought, Itachi was not going to be a threat with that injury.

"Itachi, what are you doing here?" Kakashi demanded. The man didn't answer and just drew closer until all three were staring at each other.

"They're here… Complete destruction." He muttered, grabbing at the wound in his chest.

"Who is? The Akatsuki?" He asked, only getting a head shake informing him that it wasn't.

"No, worse… they destroyed the Akatsuki in under an hour… Sasuke train with me, it is your only course of action." Itachi fell to his knees and looked at his younger brother in the eyes with his sharingan active. Instantly Sasuke felt himself fall into the red backwards world known as Tsukuyomi. He looked around the world and then back down to his brother who just crumbled into a flock of ravens and flew behind him, only to appear again in his Uchiha outfit which he once wore.

"Welcome little brother… this is Tsukuyomi, a realm where I have full control. A world which can only be created with the mangekou sharingan."

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke demanded, wanting to kill the man in front of him.

"Like I said before, I am here to train you." Sasuke stood angrily and shoved a newly created chidori through his brother's heart. His sharingan glittered in the red moon light and he felt a power wash over him as Itachi fell to the ground in a heap. Sasuke looked into the river stream and could make out the change in his eyes. He had finally beat his brother, a once close friend which led to more power.

"Good, nice reaction!" Sasuke suddenly jumped around and was once again looking at Itachi, now with tboth of them having the mangekou sharingan activated.

"I killed you." Sasuke declared.

"Kind of yes… but also no. You see I can even control what you perceive as real here. While you truly think that you killed me, I am still alive."

"So I just have to kill you again?"

"Not exactly… What do you know about the real massacre of our clan?"

"Doesn't matter." Sasuke responded and held up his lightning covered hand once more.

"Oh, so you don't care about truth… How about if I promise you greater power?" Sasuke frowned and charged at him, thrusting his hand outward. He was amazed at the detail he was able to see through his Sharingan and moved forward even faster as he was able to predict movements in an even great amount of speed.

"I see… so you don't want me to teach you about Susanoo?" Sasuke's eyes almost jumped out of his sockets as he skidded to a halt.

"You can teach me Susanoo?"

"You're in my realm aren't you… I can provide you with weeks of training within only a few seconds, the only problem is that I wonder if your body can handle it since this technique doesn't strengthen that as well."

"Like I care… Teach me!"

"Well, if you kill yourself… don't blame me."

* * *

Kakashi was yelling and slapping Sasuke when the dark eyes of the young Uchiha opened. Immediately his eyes turned red and the kaleidoscope like star formed in his eyes. The silver haired Jonin jumped back in shock followed by Itachi coughing up blood. Sasuke ran to his brother's side and cradled his head.

"Remember all I taught you little brother… this took the last bit of chakra I had." He coughed once more before falling limp in Sasuke's arms. Kakashi looked on in wonder as a few drops of liquid fell from the young genin's face and landed on the lifeless cheeks of his brother.

"Don't worry, I won't forget…" Sasuke stood up and turned to Kakashi with watery eyes.

"What happened to you?" He asked, seeing emotions other than hatred fill his soul.

"I was shown the truth… and Susanoo." Kakashi's face filled with surprise at what Sasuke had revealed, but was equally surprised at the slight smile the boy held on his face as well.

"So… care to try it out outside of Tsukuyomi?" Kakashi questioned, knowing just how it came to pass that so much information could have been implanted within him in such a short time frame.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt…" Sasuke looked at his brother with a sad face until the lifeless body was engulfed in black flames, devouring the body.

"Well, let's see what you've got Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

Taking into account their coming fights, the two hanyou trained harder than ever over the past week leading up to the finals of the chuunin exams. The strength of the three from Ame were much greater than they initially thought which resulted in their efforts keeping up. Sweat was dripping from their brows as they traded blows with their full kitsune abilities, not backing off one inch. Initially they had been afraid of hurting each other, but with the continued strengthening of their bonds as mates, it became even harder for each of them to land a blow. The only time one would actually connect with an attack was when it happened instinctively and not thought through since all strategy and ideas were relayed through their link.

During their wilderness training, before the chuunin exams, they had gotten the feel for their heightened senses, only accomplishing it through the use of kitsune magic, otherwise it was still unpredictable. While trading a series of quick punches, the two paused when they sensed something strange approach them. They turned towards the intrusion, only to not see anything there.

"You're getting better." Naruto commented before settling back into his stance.

"That's my line kiddo!" Shouted back their ever reclusive sensei, Jiraiya. "I see you two are still progressing at an unnatural rate."

"What brings you out here Ero-sennin?" Hinata asked before taking her stance as well to continue their spar.

"Tsunade would like a word with the two of you before tomorrow's matches start; and by the looks of things here, you should probably call it a day." The couple stopped and surveyed the area, blank stares washing over their faces. Their small training ground was punished into submission by their sparing that day. There wasn't a blade of grass left on the ground and no tree was left without missing limbs and leaves.

"Uh… yeah, we could take a break." Naruto finally relented. They let their forms return to normal and stepped closer to Jiraiya.

"So senjutsu… I would have never thought that it was demon chakra… I was always told it was from nature." The old man pondered out loud.

"Kind of is since demons are part of nature." Naruto reminded

"True… I never really could get a straight answer out of the toads anyways, so it doesn't really surprise me... Besides, only a demon could look like 'bunta'."

* * *

The three stepped into Tsunade's office and was greeted with a smile until she saw Jiraiya and the smile faded. Shizune was standing at her side like usual, holding a stack of papers waiting for the blonde to finish. She was silently protesting the intrusion but was quickly waved off in favor of the break.

"I am right to assume that you already know that the Ame nin are not actually from Ame?" Tsunade asked to verify. They nodded in agreement with her assumption.

"Great, well Jiraiya has come up with some information regarding them… it would seem as though they have managed to defeat the whole of Akatsuki and disguised themselves as genin to gain entry into Konoha. As of yet we are unsure why they would destroy Akatsuki and the village of Ame and only sneak into Konoha. We don't even know who they are or why they possess senjutsu."

"They are demons." Naruto answered without a second thought.

"Wait… what?" Tsunade shouted in confusion.

"We figured you had already figured it out, so I didn't say anything, but they have demon blood… Kitsune to be more exact."

"What are they after?"

"Not sure Baa-chan, but I can assure you that we will find out in the finals. It would seem that they have a problem with Hinata and I, but that's all I can figure."

"Then you two should be careful."

"That's the idea… Also I don't think what was shown with Gaara was the extent of their power… That Tama guy seems like he was holding back the most."

"Him?!" I can't tell you the amount of damage he caused to Gai's hand when he stopped that punch; and he was holding back?" Tsunade fell back in her chair with his confirmation.

"You realize that if what you say is true, then we won't be witnessing a chuunin fight but more of a Kage level battle?"

"You're right… let us worry about the fight and you guys worry about protecting everyone in attendance." Naruto suggested. He knew that if it came down to a full on battle that he would be holding back to avoid hurting the villagers.

"I guess… I guess that is a viable take… I know you two are powerful… I just don't know…"

"Hey, leave it to the young ones… we don't need you geezers throwing out your back or something." He teased while turning for the door, signaling the end of their planning. Tsunade's brow furrowed in anger, resulting in throwing a large book at him, embedding the spine into the wall, just over his head.

"Try reading that book!" She shouted back… "You may learn something useful!" Hinata pulled the book from the wall and apologized to the Hokage before chasing after her mate, who was still chuckling while walking down the hall. She quickly caught up to him with the book in her hand.

"Naruto-kun… the book?" He paused and couldn't help but to stare at her attractive face. She giggled while shoving the book into his hands.

"Come on, at least look at it after we get back home, there was at least some reasoning for her to give it to you."

"Ok fine, I'll look at it…"

"Promise?" She asked craftily.

"Yeah, Promise." He carelessly shoved the book into his back pocket, not expecting to get anything from it and continued through the village. Hinata was humming happily while holding to his arm until they arrived at the Hyuuga estate. They quietly slipped through the main gate and through the alleys around the other buildings until they arrived at their little home and sneaking inside. There was no reason that they had to sneak in, since it was their home, it just seemed that there was just too much fuss being made over them every time they arrived and it bothered them.

Naruto flopped into the chair he designated as his with a sigh. The training of the day was finally catching up with him and he was sure Hinata was feeling the same. The book he had stuffed into his pocket was uncomfortable, so he pulled it out. He was going to toss it aside, but decided to give it the look over he promised he'd give. Opening the pages, he immediately was engrossed in the content.

"Naruto-kun, you coming to bed?" A small voice called out. Naruto looked up, unaware of the time that had passed but felt the strong urge to continue reading.

"Not right now… I'm reading this…" Hinata looked disappointed while she was lying on the bed, hoping to partake in a particular evening activity. She sighed and rolled over in bed, silently asking herself why she had him promise to read the book.

A while later, the sleeping Hyuuga was disturbed from her slumber by movement in the bed. Her eyes opened just enough to verify that her mate was joining her and snuggled into his warm body.

"Was the book good?" She asked, groggily.

"Yeah… it will help, I think."

"Mmm… that's good." She mumbled before drifting off to sleep once more.

* * *

The day of the Final chuunin exam has arrived. Naruto and Hinata woke late in the morning to the chaotic sounds of the mass of people in Konoha, all heading towards the stadium. Realizing they were running late, they both hurriedly prepared for the day and ran out the gate of the Hyuuga manor. People were still lining the streets, indicating that they weren't as late as initially thought, but the manor was definitely empty meaning that the clan was already in attendance.

They passed by the crowd of people filing through the main entrance to the arena in favor of the special entrance for the competitors around the back. They both let out a breath of air after realizing they made it on time and sank down in a chair next to Shikamaru.

"Took your time." He commented.

"And when did you get here?" Naruto asked, knowing he was usually the last to arrive.

"About an hour ago… I couldn't sleep very well."

"Hmm, that is surprising." The lazy genin turned to face the blonde. After a few seconds he shrugged his shoulders.

"I think so too." He replied.

"Well, just be glad you have a normal opponent." Naruto reminded

"And how normal is a Hyuuga prodigy… I think I may be in over my head…"

"Maybe, but I'm sure that brain of yours has thought up at least one idea or two." Shikamaru snorted and turned back to overlook the arena floor. It was at that point when Naruto figured out why he had been there for an hour. There were a few areas on the arena floor where the terrain was different. There was a rocky area to the south a sandy area to the north and a grassy area in the middle with a few large trees for cover… He arrived there to devise a plan using the field terrain to his advantage. Like Shikamaru's father always told him… a great plan will always win over a greater ability.

* * *

The roar of the crowd suddenly started quieting down as attentions were brought to the Kage seats. Tsunade stood, with the ceremonial hat in her hand, next to the Sandaime. She looked out across the crown of people waiting to see the final of the chuunin exam.

"Ladies and gentlemen… I'd like to thank you all for coming to bear witness to the achievements our genin have attained and possibly even witness the birth of a future leader. Gathered here today are eight of the finest genin in all five countries, each vying for the promotion to chuunin. We hope you all enjoy the matches we have prepared… Now then; the proctor for this event needs no introduction…" Suddenly a form burst from the ground of the arena, leaving a massive hole in his wake.

"For there is no man, _or lady_, who doesn't know the sage of Mt. Myoboku… It is I, the great Jiraiya!" He announced loudly, gaining a massive wave of cheers at the arrival of one of Konoha's great sannin. Naruto groaned after hearing the man, but was interested in why Shikamaru suddenly smiled. He followed the calculating gaze and saw a pile of dirt on the far side of the arena, not more than 20 yards from where the sannin emerged. He couldn't figure out what it meant and just had to give it up since it wasn't likely to come to him later.

"Now then!" Jiraiya shouted. "Let's get this thing rolling… Get that Hyuuga and the deer guy out here." He looked out to blank faces until a chuunin ran out and handed the man a card with names on it.

"Ah, that's better… The first match… Hyuuga Neji vs. Nara Shikamaru." While the two made their way into the center of the arena, the Hanyou couple were sitting in the contestants box going over who they thought would win.

"I don't know Hinata, this could be a close one."

"It all depends on if Shikamaru can stay away from Neji long enough to hatch a plan."

"That's what I'm saying; he already has the plan, you should have seen to look on his face when Ero-sennin broke out of the ground… I think that'll have something to do with it." Their gentle argument was surprisingly interrupted by Sasuke, who seemed to have a much more peaceful look on his face.

"You are both right… it can go both ways, but I'd put my money on Shikamaru."

"Really? Now why would you say that?" Naruto wondered, of course he was in agreement and just wanted to see how Sasuke viewed it.

"He's too calculating." Naruto grinned mischievously.

"Are you saying that he outclasses your intelligence?" The blonde's smile started to fade when there was no change in the Uchiha's attitude. Usually a remark like that would irritate him, but this time he seemed unaffected.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." He replied, causing shock to wash over the blonde.

"Now I've heard everything… Are you sure it's you in there?" He asked while poking at Sasuke's face. The raven haired boy quickly grabbed at the finger poking at him and opted to swat it away.

"You want to test me?" The blonde started laughing at the very 'Sasuke' like reaction.

"Nah… it's you alright."

* * *

"Nara Shikamaru, are you ready? Hyuuga Neji are you ready?" Jiraiya paused for their confirmations.

"Then… Begin!" The sannin disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving the competitors to battle.

Once the match started, Shikamaru ran at full speed towards the eastern side of the rocky area to the south, away from the trees and the hole in the ground. The reasons for this move only existed in the young Nara's mind leaving everyone to guess at what his next move was, especially Neji. The Hyuuga quickly took off after him. Knowing a little bit about how the Nara work, he knew that he had to stop Shikamaru before he got into the position he wanted. After the first few strides, Neji knew he could catch up easily with the Nara's slower movements. He overtook him and skidded around him, easily blocking his path. He stood firmly in his gentle fist stance and eyes activated.

Shikamaru looked surprised and flung four kunai at him out of desperation. Of course Neji saw them easily and deflected the first one only to realize that there was another kunai directly behind it. Having focused so much on where he was going, he missed out on a technique he should have seen coming with all the sessions with TenTen.

"Kaiten!" The whole of the kunai were scattered in different directions, all stuck into the ground around him. While Neji was still spinning, Shikamaru took the slight opening and took off running in the direction of the sandy northern side, seemingly as a means of escape. Neji cursed to himself and stopped the rotation and started giving chase to the Nara. Just like before, he caught up to him, but unlike the previous time, he didn't block his path, but instead threw a series of shuriken to stop his movement.

Shikamaru turned with a grunt and flung another large set of kunai, now mixed with a group of shuriken just for fun. Seeing the repeated action from before, Neji knew he was up to something but couldn't quite figure it out on the spot. Right after the last weapon was deflected, he immediately stopped the rotation to catch Shikamaru before he made a run for it. Just as he expected, Shikamaru was running right at him.

"You are now within range of my…

"Shuriken Kage Bushin no jutsu." The Nara ducked to reveal a mass of shuriken now overtaking him. Neji had no choice but to stop his attack so he could switch to defense. Taking the opportunity Shikamaru took off running towards the western wall of the arena while Neji defended. He could sense that Neji was now hot on his heels, so he poured even more effort into his running. Unfortunately there was a rock in his path, causing him to trip on it and fall to the ground. He rolled across the ground and stopped, prone on his knee, holding his hands together.

A shadow launched out from the Nara, in a last ditch attempt to ensnare the Hyuuga, but it was easily seen through and Neji jumped away from him, stopping just a few inches outside of the range of his shadow. From where Shikamaru was crouched, he could see Neji was positioned 3 feet to the east of the hole Jiraiya burst from. He stood while panting from his running and looked across the field at his opponent.

"5… 4… 3… 2… 1." Suddenly the two places where the kunai were scattered erupted in a bright light, blinding the audience for just a few seconds, but when their sight returned, Shikamaru was standing directly in front of Neji and blew some strange powder from his hand into the face of the Hyuuga.

"What was that?" Neji asked as he could feel a strong groggy force envelop him.

"Sleeping powder derived from the antlers of the deer on my clan's farm… I'm sorry, but you've lost." Shikamaru sighed when Neji fell to his knees and closed his eyes, followed by a light snoring sound.

"EH… Winner, Nara Shikamaru!" Jiraiya announced with the crowd cheering, despite not witnessing the turning point in the match.

* * *

"I guess you were right Naruto-kun… He made it seem like he desperately needed to get to one area, when in fact he really wanted to get to a different area, but in doing so he planted flash tags. The sudden increase in light at that time actually made Neji's shadow stretch and fall into the hole Ero-sennin came out of and Shikamaru's shadow did the same into the hole of the entrance. He then connected the shadows beneath the ground and used his control to move Neji close enough to get him with the sleeping powder before the light faded and broke the jutsu. It happened so fast I could barely follow it." Hinata recounted after seeing it all.

"Yeah, that's Shikamaru… When we were younger; Choji, Kiba and I never once won a game against him when it was his turn. No matter the game, he'd win in only a few seconds. If it wasn't for his laziness costing him other rounds, he wouldn't have been fun to play with."

"I didn't know you played with him that much in earlier years." Hinata confessed, not like she was able to keep tabs on him all the time before they attended academy.

"We did, almost every Sunday… Right Sasuke?" Hinata quickly turned and saw the Uchiha turn away.

"Only guy I lost hide and seek to." He mumbled. Naruto started laughing at the remark, it had been a very long time since Sasuke had even remotely acknowledge the fact that he used to play with the whole group of younger boys.

"You've changed Sasuke." He commented jovially. "You're more back to normal now." Naruto was happy to see the guy who used to be a friend return to his way of thinking before the massacre took his family.

"You're up…" Shikamaru greeted while letting out a sigh as he sunk into the chair next to Sasuke. Naruto stood up energetically and pumped his fist in the air.

"Now the real excitement begins!"

"Go get 'em Naruto-kun." Hinata gave him a quick good luck kiss and sent him on his way.

* * *

"Next on the fight schedule is Uzumaki Naruto vs Nogi Kogeki from Ame." There were a series of hushed voices in the crowd about the whereabouts of the kyuubi kid and how he just disappeared, only to arrive in the chuunin exams. Jiraiya snorted at the imbeciles and changed his planned announcement. More quiet conversations broke out when the competitor stepped into the arena, but was soon overwhelmed when the Hyuuga section roared to life, all cheering for the blonde.

"That's right folks!" Jiraiya shouted to feed the crowd. "The man entrusted with holding the Kyuubi prisoner by none other than his father, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. Loved until her dying breath by his mother, Uzumaki Kushina. The legacy of the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot Habanero! Here's Konoha's #1 unpredictable Ninja Uzumaki Naruto!" Throughout the speech series of gasps and cheers rang out as people drew their conclusions of the young man. The Hyuuga section remained the loudest but soon even they quieted so the match could begin.

"Now then, let's get it going… Ready? Begin!"

Kogeki took off his cloak, revealing what the last of the hidden ninja looked like. His hair was of mid length and dark red in color with portions of black streaks scattered throughout. Just like the other three, his face was of pale complexion, but more interesting was that their facial features weren't all that different from each other. His clothing basically matched his hair color, just like the other two. You could also tell he was ready to do battle since his eyelids shown with the signs of senjutsu.

"You make me sick…" Kogeki mutterd and thrust forward to connect with a lightning fast kick. Naruto barely even had time to get his arms up to block when he felt the crushing blow strike him. He skidded half the length of the arena before he struck the ground with his palm and righted his body, landing on his feet and skidded to a halt. Naruto looked down until he felt the demonic chakra fill his body. Kogeki closed in on him in an instant and fired an extremely fast punch at the blonde's face. The emotionless face of the Ame ninja soon developed a look of surprise when the fist was caught in the palm of Naruto's hand.

"How many?" The blonde asked, making the enemy look at him in wonder of what he was asking.

"How many tails?" He repeated for clarification.

"I… I don't have to tell you anything!" Kogeki jumped back and landed on all fours. His teeth elongated with his claws, giving him a truly feral appearance. Naruto could now see the faint outline of his ears and three swishing tails behind him.

"Just three!? Who do you think I am?" Naruto launched forward, grabbing the kitsune's face and flipping him onto his back, crashing his head to the ground.

**"Kuda, you insolent nogitsune whelp, who are the others! Its Tamamo again isn't it?"** Kurama shouted.

The fallen kitsune whimpered at the sound of a voice he knew well from the past. In that instant he recalled the first battle he participated in after receiving the title as the three tails, one where he joined with other kitsune to drive back a very young kitsune aberration with nine tails. They declared that since there had never been a nine tailed kitsune, this youngling couldn't have been anything but a mutation.

Kogeki growled, he never wanted to relive the complete defeat dealt at the hands of the young Kurama. He pulled out all the stops and regressed to a quasi-human form and forcefully pushed Naruto away from his body. He rolled to his four paws and growled louder. One of his more defined tails dug deep into the ground and jumped outward from the earth under Naruto's feet. The large tail just grazed his leg, but it was enough for the feeling to leave his limb.

"What the hell?"

**"Kuda uses raiton attacks with his tails, they have a paralyzing effect."**

"I see… Maybe we should eliminate that ability." Naruto drew out a large red sword from its sheath, the blade looked of the color of blood and had no shine to it, and a tuft of equally red fur covered the guard. The Kitsune growled again, and charged. Naruto dodged to the left and kicked its front paw, causing it to stumble and fall.

"I've got you now!" Naruto shouted while swinging the blade forward, crashing into the ground behind the kitsune, just barely missing its body. The ground cracked and crumbled under the blade, but what the audience saw wasn't exactly what those of kitsune blood saw. What was perceived as a miss, actually was right on target. The kitsune howled in pain when it felt a tail get severed from its body

"How many more came with you?" Naruto demanded, holding the blade to his throat in interrogation.

"Tamamo-sama will kill me." He yelped painfully.

"Tell me!" Suddenly the fox started convulsing.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto shouted up towards the stands. The Hokage's eyebrow twitched but she took off anyways. She landed next to the kitsune and immediately started examining it. It didn't take long before the fox stopped moving and she stood and shook her head.

"The opponent, Nogi Kogeki has died from heart failure unrelated to this match… The winner is Uzumaki Naruto." A small group of medics ran out and threw a sheet over the body and started to move it off the field.

"Naruto, tell the rest to be careful." Tsunade urged

"Don't worry Baa-chan… the one we really need to worry about it the once up against Hinata. This one was small time in comparison… When she fights, get prepared for a mess." Naruto sheathed the sword and walked back to the competitors' waiting room. Normally he would be happy to return victorious, but there was something about the way the kitsune died that irritated him. He ascended the stairs to the waiting area when he passed by Tama. The Ninja's arm extended and blocked his passing.

"We will eliminate **_all_** kitsune hanyou."

"You can try Tamamo, but we will stop you." The kitsune growled and pushed Naruto against the wall.

"Who do you think you are, Hanyou?" Naruto grabbed Tamamo's wrist with a hand glowing in orange flames, tightening his grip and pulled it off of his chest. Satisfied with the showing he let him go.

"You can call me _Kitsune no Aruji_, or Lord of foxes… your choice." Naruto straightened his jacket and proceeded back to his chair.

"Your turn Sasuke… don't get beat up too bad."

"Hmph… I'll show you how to truly show off for the crowd." Shrill screams from all the women in attendance echoed through the Arena as he stepped into view.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke." They all chanted.

"Well, I guess they all know who is next… Uchiha Sasuke vs, Nogi Naguru." Jiraiya announced loudly. He waited for the two to stop in the center of the Arena, and the female cheering squad didn't even let up one tiny bit.

"Fighters ready…. Begin!" The copper haired kitsune was already using his demonic powers and concentrated a flame around his fists. Sasuke took a step back to buy a little space and activate his sharingan. Sasuke immediately held his hand out to the side and ran towards the kitsune ninja.

"Chidori!" Naguru dropped his left shoulder and twisted in the same direction, causing the lightning infused hand to miss him totally. The kitsune grabbed Sasuke's wrist with his right hand, continuing the spin, resulting in his back facing the Uchiha with his left elbow heading straight for his face.

"Chidori Nagashi." Sasuke whispered in the fox's ear before lightning erupted from his body, treating Naguru to an electrifying experience. The kitsune coughed and fell forward to the ground, taken aback by the surprise. He quickly regained his wits and flipped back to his feet. Turning around, he saw the Uchiha jump backwards, holding his hand up to his face.

"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" A massive dragon head emerged from a great ball of flame, bearing down on the fox. The Kitsune growled while leaning forward and was engulfed in the brilliantly bright flames. A satisfied grin spread across Sasuke's face as he landed on the ground and started heading back to the waiting area.

A loud echoing growl erupted, shaking the ground and cracking the walls of the stadium. Sasuke turned around and saw steam rising from the epicenter of his attack. A large paw emerged from the smoldering flames, followed by an equally large head, all dripping with water. Two large tails struck the ground, putting out the rest of the fire.

"Heh… looks like the battle continues." Sasuke drew the katana on his waist and forced lightning chakra into the blade. The distinct crackling and chirping of the chidori, further sharpening the blade, and with the water all over the kitsune, this was sure to be a powerful hit.

"I guess it starts now." Tamamo commented to himself and threw of his cloak. Naruto suddenly stood and looked to his mate when he saw the movement to Tamamo.

"Hinata…"

"Right." She responded and stood next to him right as Tamamo disappeared.

The crackling blade from Sasuke's kusunagi was headed straight for the body of Naguru when a similar bolt of lightning struck the sword. Sparks flew in every direction until the scene cleared to see Tamamo holding the sword's blade in his hand.

"The Hanyou abominations will be cleansed! All hail the kitsune no Youkai!"

"Hail Tamamo-sama the Kitsune no Aruji." Chorused a large group of people sitting in the stands. A powerful kick sent Sasuke flying across the ground and left kusanagi in the hands of the kitsune. He looked at the sword and swung it through the air a few times with a smile. Tsunade quickly stood at the sudden uproar.

"Defense teams… Move now!" She ordered.

"Nogitsune! Attack!" Tamamo hollered with a swing of the sword, pointing mainly at the group of Hyuuga in the stands. In the midst of his battle cry, the kitsune felt a powerful fist land on his cheek, sending him across the field.

"I see… you want to be the Lord of Foxes." Naruto mentioned while reeling back his fist.

* * *

End chapter 10

Next chapter is the finale!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"You want to be the lord of foxes? You'll have to go through me first!" The blonde stood with his back towards the large two tailed kitsune in its full sized form without even acknowledging it. With a massive swipe of its paw, the kitsune expected contact, but was surprised to see angry lavender hued eyes staring at him fully empowered with kitsune magic. Her fist was glowing with the face of the kyuubi when she jumped up and nailed him right under the chin, ending up with actually lifting the massive fox off his feet. The fox landed on the ground and lay motionless.

Naruto took the lull in the battle and hurried to Sasuke's side where he was slowly picking himself up from the ground. He reached for his sword and realized it was gone.

"Kusanagi! Where is it?" Even Naruto could see the panic in his eyes as he searched for the blade.

"Tamamo has it."

"No…" He mouthed.

"Kusanagi is the highest level of the lost treasures, not even shape shifter, the last Muramasa has the ability to defend against it once chakra is applied to the blade, and that fox has stronger lightning chakra than anyone."

"Got it Sasuke…" Soon a distant thunderous roar rumbled the stadium and a black fox with red streaks landed on the arena floor with four tails waving. He turned to the side and let out an even louder roar, a cloud of breath escaping its mouth. Soon after the two tailed fox, Naguru stood up again and another streak of red passed by, revealing the three tails, Kuda, standing by him.

"Uh, you go help Hinata with those three and I'll figure out something to get that sword away from him." Naruto took off after Tamamo without even waiting for Sasuke to acknowledge his suggestion. He hurriedly ran and drew out the long red blade and slashed it at the slowly moving body of the kitsune. Tamamo turned and held up the sword, stopping the sweep of the heavy blade. With a quick slicing motion, Kusanagi cut through the blade, cleaving it in two.

"Wha?" Naruto mumbled, he never really believed what Sasuke told him, yet there was proof of his claim lying on the ground.

**"Pick up the pieces and let's try another form."** Naruto dove for his broken blade and quickly wielded a shimmering blue katana; the form Hinata first found shape shifter in. He turned just in time to block the attack from Tamamo and Kusanagi. He could feel the pressure being forced against the blue blade and could even hear it creak in protest. Luckily the blade held together and Naruto was able to repel the attack. He jumped to his feet and backed up for some distance, noting the small crack now in the blade.

"Kurama?"

**"On it."** The blade soon healed itself, but they both knew this was temporary and it was sure to happen once more. Knowing that blade wasn't good enough to use in prolonged combat, Naruto started to think about the book Tsunade had given him while barely fending off another attack.

* * *

It wasn't your usual book, sure it had words and illustrations, but it talked of legends and folklore, mainly involving magic and swords. Upon reading the first few pages, he learned that there were many blades which received legendary status, and of them, they were all referred to by name, almost like it was their own incantation for using the blades. Naruto was never one for remembering names, but there were a few he read about which stuck with him. Kusanagi, the grass cutter; Shape Shifter, the last Muramasa; and even the legendary great sword from a far off land, Gram, the dragon slayer. After recalling this, he decided that it couldn't hurt to try like they did in the past. Naruto held his sword high in the air.

"Kusanagi!" As soon as he called out the name of the sword, the blue blade shifted into the shape of the sword in Tamamo's possession. The kitsune was on him once more and the two blades clashed. You could hear the blades creak in protest, neither giving an inch until a chip broke out of the Kusanagi in Naruto's hand. He cursed in his mind and pushed off of Tamamo's blade to gain room again and attempt another blade change.

* * *

In the stands of the stadium, Fights were breaking out around the mass of Hyuuga. Small fox demons were lunging at the members in great numbers, but luckily they were single tailed demons with limited abilities.

"Otou-sama!" cried out the young voice of Hanabi as she attempted to fight off two of the young kitsune at one time.

"Hakke Kūshō (Vacuum Palm)." One of the kitsune was knocked far into the air, away from their group. Hiashi landed next to his young daughter and helped to dispatch the pack.

"Stay sharp Hanabi, their instincts are greater than ours, but our technique is better."

"Ok." She replied and tried to double her efforts.

* * *

Sasuke had finally joined in with the fight Hinata was involved with, but it was still three on two and they were fighting the two, three, and four tailed kitsune yokai. The weird part about it was that until the arrival of the four tails; they had the other two incapacitated.

"Sasuke-san." Hinata called out. "I need you to buy me some time; we feel it is time to end this battle which is on their terms."

"We?"

"Naruto-kun and I… Don't ask how right now, but he's just grasped something that will turn the tide."

"Fine; but my next jutsu won't last long. My chakra reserves aren't quite high enough."

"Understood, I just need to channel my chakra correctly and I can't do that while fighting." Sasuke nodded and jumped to the front of the trio, now trained on him. The four tailed beast moved further behind the two as back up, almost denoting it like one would a medic ninja. The two tailed demon reared back before hurtling forward at full speed, Sasuke noted the fox didn't use any abilities, so it would seem that it was a pure augmented melee type, then the other was obviously a water type. He barely blocked the first attack when he notice a huge sphere of water was hurtling towards him. He knew he wouldn't last long at this rate and had to do what he could to help his temporary teammates. He wanted to dodge the water bullet, but saw Hinata was concentrating behind him, making him have to defend against it.

Right as the water bullet reached him, a bluish purple hand erupted from the ground like a specter come for vengeance. The hand swatted down the attack and started pulling the rest of itself from the ground, soon enveloping Sasuke within the skeletal ribcage of the strange deity. Hinata looked up at the strange jutsu and had to wonder just why the Uchiha had to have such a mighty ability. Had they been less full of themselves, they'd all still be around. Sasuke was easily holding the two demons at bay, but it was just a few seconds after it was summoned that it started to fade. Knowing her time was up, she stood and slowly performed a series of hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" A mighty wind blew across the arena, tearing up the trees and almost creating a tornado in the sands of the arena. Susanoo faded right as a massive white fox appeared and pushed the snout of the two large kitsune to the ground. The four tails took a step forward and was met by a gale force wind as the white fox roared and fanned its seven tails towards it.

"Myobu! What are you trying to achieve?" Asked the four tails.

"Huli; you shall have your answer in a moment…" She nodded toward the darkening clouds rolling in from the north, to which the four tailed kitsune seemed to shrink upon acknowledgement. Two foxes of equal size to the larger version of the Myobu suddenly appeared with a clap of thunder. The two fanned out their tails and calmly waited for an explanation.

"Tengoku, Gekai… I ask for your permission to invoke the rite of succession."

"Succession?" Asked the six tailed, grey fox, Tengoku.

"May we ask the identity of the successor?" The tan fox asked twitching one of his five tails.

"The Kyuubi Hanyou." Even those who couldn't understand kitsune talk could tell the two were surprised.

"A hanyou… lead us?" Gekai asked.

"I know it is a stretch, but we can't ignore the strength of the Kyuubi, nor can we just allow Tamamo to operate on his own. The hanyou are part of us and aren't what we thought." Her paws lifted off of the two smaller kitsune, yet they remained prone on the ground. A large white paw gently scooted Hinata close to the two kitsune.

"This is the Kyuubi hanyou's mate… a Hyuuga with a large caring heart. We once talked about the possibility of cohabitating with them if they would show an ounce of humility… this one has well over an ounce and was the one to call all three of us here."

"You, woman…" The Tan kitsune growled.

"Yes, Gekai-sama." She responded politely with a bow.

"Your mate… What is he thinking?"

"He's…" She paused for a moment before smiling.

"He'd like for us all to step back so he can fight Tamamo properly and allow the Hokage to protect the audience with a barrier so he can start to cut loose."

"You… You have the full kitsune bond…" Tengoku had a contemplating look across his furry face and nodded.

"So be it… Gekai?" The tan fox nodded as well. "Myobu… you have the approval of 18 tails, a majority vote among us." She nodded and directed her attention towards the stands. Simultaneously the three great foxes growled a high pitched growl, freezing all the smaller kitsune where they stood. The smaller one tailed yokai whimpered and backed down from the fights they were participating in. The great white fox started to shrink in size until she took her humanoid form.

"The Kitsune rite of succession has been initiated, citizens of Konoha and those of the kitsune yokai clan are to bear witness to the rise of the Lord of Foxes. A fight shall take place in this arena for the fate of the Hyuuga and all kitsune hanyou. The kyuubi hanyou shall battle with Tamamo, the eight tailed kitsune. All others stand by." All the kitsune in the arena shrank down to their human forms and gathered in the front row of the stadium in a long line. Once the three highest level kitsune joined them, a translucent blue flame erupted upwards in a wall around the arena floor.

"This fox fire will protect the citizens from harm… The fight of succession begins… NOW!"

* * *

Naruto had finally gotten a break from all the fighting, he was quite lucky that Hinata pulled off her portion of the plan right on time. Had it lasted any longer, he would have run out of creative swords to try on the seemingly undefeatable Kusanagi. Although using the sword's names did add strength to the blade, it was still nowhere near the power of a real blade such as Kusanagi. Naruto panted during the brief intermission where the kitsune were setting up the barrier, trying to figure out a way to defeat the sword.

"Undefeatable blade… right." He mumbled while recalling the things ShapeShifter told him when he first found the blade buried in the tree.

* * *

_"Mister fox, let me help." Muramasa begged the kyuubi from within the sword._

**_"I don't have time for you right now… I don't know how much longer I can keep up making these blades. Each time one gets cut, I lose a bit of my strength."_**

_"I know… you aren't using it correctly. You need to bend reality to make a truly legendary forging appear. This can be done only through an incantation for the blade."_

**_"Fine, then tell me what this incantation is."_**

_"Only if you make this cage bigger."_

**_"Fine."_**

_"And get me a bear plushie?… I can't sleep in here."_

* * *

The battle between Tamamo and Naruto had just officially begun by the order of the Kitsune clan. Naruto decided to try a different style of bladed weapon instead of just swords and held up a large axe like halberd. He thrust down the mighty weapon only to see it effortlessly sliced in twain.

"If that is all you have; I will take your head." Tamamo promised as he kicked the broken half of the weapon back to the blonde hanyou. Naruto thought hard for his next blade, but there was no change; the kyuubi was silent.

"Kurama, you there?" There was no answer, just silence. The blade of Kusanagi barely missed slicing through Naruto's throat and was coming around for a second attack when the dark voice of the Kyuubi rang in his ears.

**"Old man Muramasa has a way to bring a true legendary sword into existence, not just these imitations, but there is one problem… once we use it, it will only last for a minute and I will have to rest for an entire day after that minute… It is an all or nothing approach."**

"Just how I like it… what do we do?"

**"I complete an incantation, and you call out the name of the sword you most desire. It has to be a sword that is unbeatable, so think about it wisely… then I will see you tomorrow."**

"Fine, do it." Naruto slipped under the next downward strike and stumbled backwards.

**"My bones are now swords, steel is my body, and fire is my heart… I have created countless blades…**

**Unrivaled in life, Unaware of death… I, the last Muramasa, will forge The Legendary sword by it name:"**

"Caledfwlch!" Naruto was unsure if he pronounced the strange name correctly from his memory of the book until a bright light as luminescent as the sun shone outward from the sword like a ray of sunlight. The dark clouds in the sky seemed to part and let the brightness of the sun cast down upon his blonde hair. The blade became heavier and the hilt and guard turned to gold. The elegant shining blade shown intricate engravings and scalloped designs imprinted the length of the steel, the details were of a much greater detail than any other sword they had created.

"Caledfwlch?" Asked the intrigued kitsune who paused his attack out of curiosity of the foreign name. "What's that?"

"The true name of the sword that will break Kusanagi… I read about it in an old book." Naruto lifted the blade and swung it softly, noticing the musical sound it made as it cut through the air, this blade was truly on a different level from the other likenesses.

"Utter nonsense… I've never heard of it and I've lived for 1000 years… Prepare to die." Tamamo readied his sword and set it crashing into the great double edged sword. This time Kusanagi was the only blade creaking. With a powerful shove, Naruto pushed back the katana and followed by a smashing downward slash clanking against the smaller katana. The smaller katana bent to its side under the weight of the great sword and then, right before everyone's eyes, kusanagi shattered like glass. The look of surprise on Tamamo's face was priceless. Naruto stuck his sword into the ground and watched as it faded away into an old rusty blade with the dingy blue ito… the minute had passed and had proved to all that the last Muramasa blade was superior to all.

"Not many know the sword by its true name… But everyone has heard of 'the unbreakable sword' Excalibur. My sword, The Last Muramasa, can take any form and by sacrificing its power for the day can take athe shape of a legendary sword."

"I see… but this was just for fun. I was intrigued by kenjutsu, so I wanted to give it a try. My real ability is as the Kitsune General." He threw the broken katana on the ground like a piece of trash and bent forward. He started growing in size until he was nearly as large as the Kyuubi, which attacked 12 years prior. His dark black fur glistened in the sunlight, just peeking through the dark clouds. His eight tails lifted into the air and cracked against the ground, splitting the earth under him. There was barely enough room in the stadium to house a fight of gargantuan proportions, it just looked like a scene from an old black and white movie.

**"Behold! I am Tamamo! Kitsune no Hachibi!" **He was clearly bigger but unbelievably swift in that larger form. The far side of the arena wall crumbled with the swish of his tail and the thrust of his hind legs as he lunged towards Naruto.

The blonde was resting against his dormant sword, seemingly unaware of the doom coming towards him… Or so it seemed… A bright orange flame engulfed Naruto and eight flaming chakra hands exploded from his body, starting to wrap around the large black fox. Naruto turned and looked directly at Tamamo with his feral eyes and elongated fangs. There was an anger in his eyes; there was no way he could ignore the attack on his village and surrogate family.

Tamamo was rolled on his side by the chakra arms. The quaking rumble, and dust caused by his falling, echoed through the stadium while the spectators, human and kitsune alike watched in quiet amazement.

For the villagers; their recollection of Naruto, the kyuubi kid, was not anything like what they were witnessing. He was out there protecting them and taming the power of the kyuubi a power many deemed untamable. On the kitsune side, they hadn't witnessed a battle where the eight tails was on the short end of the battle since Kurama entered their ranks, and it was at the hand of a hanyou.

While the eight tailed fox was pinned, Naruto sent another set of chakra arms with rasengans spiraling in hand and landed them easily on the large downed body, but the small spinning chakra had little effect on the dense fur. The rasengans sputtered out with only shaving a little of the fur from Tamamo. Soon he struggled against the binding chakra hands and started breaking free from the hold. With a loud snarl the last of the bindings were forced off and the black fox was standing again.

"**You… You abomination!"** His black fur started to ruffle up and suddenly he opens his mouth, sending a ball of sparking lightning towards Naruto.

"Crap, that wasn't planned." Naruto lunged forward, and to the remaining audience, he disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing behind the fox.

"Konoha's second flash?" Jiraiya muttered to himself, amazed at just how much Naruto had become like his late father in the speed department.

Naruto skidded to a stop once he reappeared and turned to face Tamamo. Remembering back to the fight with the snakes Kabuto summoned, he decided to give that strange rasengan a try. He held both hands out in front of him and tried to concentrate. He could feel the power he wanted attempting to come forth, but there was too much strain. Hoping it was like his other training, two clones appeared and used their chakra arms to interact with his accumulation of energy. Soon a black ball of energy was developing in his hands right as the fox turned to face him again.

"GO!" Naruto shouted as he shot the ball out from his hand.

"NARUTO! Look out!" Shouted Hinata from the stands. His blue eyes turned towards the stands and saw tears flowing down her cheeks and time seemed to slow down.

Naruto could feel his mind operating at a normal speed, but his movements were almost nonexistent and wouldn't respond to his commands. The world slowly blacked out for what felt like a minute, but in reality it was just his eyes blinking. With the slowed time, he could take in everything, the dark ball leaving his hands with unreal speed towards his enemy, the particles of dust in the air, but the worst was the look of horror on Hinata's face. The tears, the panic, it was almost too much to bear, but why? He could tell by the veins near her eyes that she had her doujutsu active and was looking at him, well not really at him, but just behind him.

He struggled against the weight perceived by the slowing of time and move his head slightly, just enough to see out of the corner of his eye, a large black fox and a vicious clawed paw inching towards his body. With another slow blink, he rotated his head back towards the front and saw a shimmering body of the kitsune where the attack was aimed.

"Kitsune trickery… genjutsu." After the realization, time returned to normal and the massive clawed paw contacted the flesh of the kitsune hanyou. The sharp claws pierced his skin and his ragdoll like body was hurtled through the air. Hinata screamed painfully when she saw him get hit. This attack wasn't like the other battles he fought. He had gotten injured before, but there was just something eerie with this one. His body struck the ground, limp and lifeless it skidded across the ground until cracking into the wall. The gravel along his path was streaked with a reddish color, which increased in intensity while approaching the wall. Tamamo let out a satisfied snort and faced the line of kitsune holding the protective barrier around the arena.

**"I have returned victorious the title is now mine and as such I now have one more tail's worth of voting power… Drop the barrier and let me finish what I came to do."**

"No!" The Myobu shouted. She was going to say much more until two hands fell on her shoulder, ones from the six and five tails each. The two of them shook their head disappointingly. She started shaking and watched as the barrier dropped. Tamamo looked like he was smiling as he focused an even larger electrical blast from his mouth at the group of humans, still shocked at what happened. The bawling Hinata suddenly stopped her crying and rose to her feet in front of the great fox.

"Hinata… you're… That means…" The seven tailed kitsune muttered in fascination.

"For a moment I lost hope, but something rang in my ears… a promise that Naruto made me. He promised to always protect me. Every promise he makes must be fulfilled… This isn't over yet." The last of the tears fell from her face and landed on her fists, wetting the skin. A ferocious orange flame covered both of her fists while she looked on in awe. She soon started smiling in the healing warmth of her mate's chakra; it felt like he was actually there holding her hands. The raging flames grew larger and larger until two giant heads shaped like the kyuubi no kitsune revealed themselves, each with a large black ball of chakra lying in their mouths.

"Tamamo!" Hinata shouted, the fox turned his attention to her and realized his mistake; he should have made sure the Hanyou was finished, and not given the slim chance of pushing chakra to his mate. When he recognized that it wasn't just chakra but a technique itself, he knew that the pair were truly kitsune. The two bijoudama launched out from her augmented hands and contacted the fox directly. Tamamo tried to resist the attack and push back against the force until he felt his fur ripping from his skin. Cries of pain rang out and the towering black fox fell to the ground once more. The bijoudama then exploded above the fallen body, inflicting even more damage to the fallen fox.

Frantically the kitsune in the audience erected a barrier around the arena to contain the massive blast. The rumbling sound was deafening, everyone held their hands over their ears and waited for the mushroom cloud of dust to settle. When the rumbling stopped, many opened their eyes and looked at each other with a sharp ringing still lingering in their ears.

Hinata jumped from the arena wall high above the ground and took off running towards where Naruto had fallen. She jumped across chasms created from the ground being damaged and down a bowl shaped area under where the epicenter of the blast was, just to get to the far side of the arena where Naruto had gone down. Upon skidding to a stop, she dove to her knees and started throwing the stones and broken concrete away from where he was buried. With one last large stone pulled back, she had to use all her self-control to keep from shrieking out in horror at the bloody sight in front of her. Out of nowhere she felt a strong arm grab her around the waist and start to pull her away from the injured body.

"NO! LET ME GO!" She cried while scraping at the ground with her fingers, hoping to get a hold of something to propel her forward.

"Hinata! Stop!" She felt her body go limp, feeling the grip of her father holding her quivering body.

"Let Tsunade do her work." She slowly nodded and continued to cry in her father's arms. It had been so long since she felt his embrace, it was so warm and comforting at that moment. She gasped loudly when she felt a sharp pain strike her heart like a bolt of lightning and caused her to fall towards the ground. Her breath was short and painful while she clutched at her heart.

"Medical team, form a circle here." Tsunade ordered, taking command of the situation.

"But shouldn't we?"

"No time! We're losing him!" She shouted back with an echo of panic.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata slowly whispered while the pain forced her to the ground. "You… you promised…"

"Tsunade-sama!" Hiashi shouted. "Hinata's not breathing!"

* * *

There was a dull light perceived with the usual regaining of conscientiousness. A pair of pale lavender tinted, pupil-less eyes flicked open, just to shut with the pain of the bright light pouring into her retinas. She held her eyes tightly closed to avoid the light and let the rest of her senses come to life. There were birds outside, chirping a happy song, children playing hide and seek in the park, but there was something closer that just didn't really come to her, it seemed garbled and distorted.

She concentrated on the sound and soon heard the faint beeping of a heart monitor to her left. It was steadily beeping, each beat in tune with a heart that wasn't hers, she could hear it… That rhythmic sound wasn't hers. Soon she could hear the whooshing of a respiration machine at her left as well, causing her to look to the side and try opening her eyes again.

She looked through blurry vision and couldn't make out who her roommate was until the fog started to clear to reveal unorderly blonde hair atop a calm sleeping face snuggled into the blankets covering him up to the chin. She groaned and struggled moved her hand to her forehead to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Everything it so stiff." She commented while trying to loosen up some of her muscles. Her throuat was sore and she felt strangely weak while bringing her hand to her face. She groaned again and slowly put forth more effort than usual to right herself in bed. She let out another groan and slipped her feet to the floor, almost falling to the ground when she attempted to stand. She caught herself on the bed rail and steadied her body.

"Something's not right… I need to find someone." She muttered weakly and stepped unsteadily forward. Her legs were wobbly for some reason and she struggled to make it to the door. After opening it, she started down a hallway, leaning on the wall and the railing at the side for support. Slowly she wobbled down the hall, the smell of disinfectant tickling her nose, and came upon a widened sitting area. She surveyed the room until her eyes met a pair similar to hers.

"Hinata-sama!" Shouted a male voice and hurried to her side and helped support her small frame. His voice was familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it with the face. His hair was about shoulder length and he had a strange kindness in his eyes. The big problem was that face; he didn't look like any of the usual Hyuuga of that age group.

"Hinata-sama… You're finally awake." Just the tone in his voice started to remind her of someone. She concentrated on his face while holding a curled finger up to her lips.

"Neji-nii-san?" She questioned with a shaky voice. There was only one person who it could be, but it still didn't match the face she saw.

"Yes, Hinata-sama?" He replied, confirming his identity.

"Neji… how long?" She muttered out, realizing why she was weak and the seemingly sudden passage of time.

"Three…"

"Months?" She interrupted. It was a rude awakening to realize one quarter of a year had gone by, but wait… did hair grow that fast?

"Not months, Hinata-sama; years." Her body suddenly went limp in his arms as the realization hit her. Her actual age was now 15, she had missed three birthdays and missed another 1095 days she could have spent in love with her mate. Her body then stiffened, Naruto had been out that long as well, and while she didn't have a good look at him, the presence of the respirator indicated that he had a much bigger problem than lost time.

"Naruto-kun?" Neji sighed, he was afraid of that one track mind of hers…

"We should probably let Hokage-sama explain the rest; let me help you back to bed." He gently held her waist, supporting most of her small weight on him and helped her down the hall and back into her room where she saw Naruto still laid up in bed with hoses and tubes connected to him.

"I knew it wasn't good, but he just looks so… Not like him. He's not smiling, he's not Naruto." Tears filled her eyes and she started bawling as Tsunade bolted through the door. Her face was both happy and pained by Hinata's current state. She motioned for Neji to go and sat next to the crying woman.

"You know…" She started while putting an arm around the young woman. "I had thought we lost him until you lost consciousness back then. Hiashi told me about what you mumbled and I truly think that you both are alive today because of whatever weird curse he has. I mean, he was dead; beyond my help and when your life was in danger of following him, he just started breathing again."

Hinata looked at her mate with tears still flowing down her cheeks and sniffled back a sob. She looked back at Tsunade with an inquisitive look on her pained face.

"Is that really living? If he was beyond your help, then is there any hope of him still being him if he ever wakes up, or is there not even a chance that he will wake up?"

"I don't know Hinata. He was so badly injured that I would be surprised if he came out of it at all."

"How bad?" She asked with a cringe. She knew she'd have to face up to it before long.

"You sure you can handle it?" Hinata nodded and started to slide off the bed towards Naruto. Tsunade stayed by her side with an arm around her so to catch her if she couldn't handle it. When the linens covering Naruto were removed, Hinata's lips started to quiver and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing hysterically. Tsunade pulled her back to her bed where she buried her face in the pillow.

"I don't want to make this worse on you, but his head was heavily traumatized in the battle and his EEG scans still show very little activity in his brain."

"What does that mean?" Hinata asked in a muffled sniffle.

"It means that in all likelihood, he will be comatose forever."

"No….. That can't be…." She once again started sobbing into the pillow and Tsunade could only watch her shaking form. She knew what it was like to lose a lover and couldn't bear to watch the scene and quietly left the hospital room. A few more minutes passed by and the quivering faded as she slept on the soaked pillow.

* * *

Hinata hoped it was all a horrible nightmare when she became conscious again. A few red dots flashed across the room, showing her that it was about 1am. She dragged her aching body back to her feet and stumbled to the window. She looked out at the still night, the leaves were happily dancing in the night breeze.

"Must be summer again." She commented, hoping to cheer herself up a bit, but to no avail. She slid the large, low hanging window open and felt the warm breeze tickle her face with her long hair. She looked over the edge of the window and saw just how far it was to the ground from high in the hospital building.

"I wonder…" Her thoughts raced through her head. If there was no possible way for Naruto to wake up, then he may as well be dead and without him she had no purpose in life, nothing to keep her spirits up.

"If I jump… what would happen?" She looked back at Naruto with a solemn look on her face and climbed on top of the window sill with her weak, shaky legs. She nervously looked down at the hard ground and really started to think that ending it would be the best approach. As soon as she shifted her weight forward, Naruto's heart monitor went crazy, breaking her conviction and causing her to fall off the window sill and onto the hard tile of the hospital floor, bumping her head on the soft bed on the way down. A nurse came running into the room at the sound of the heart monitor in distress and saw the Hyuuga woman lying on the floor crying and laughing at the same time.

"Naruto-kun… I knew it."

* * *

(Years Later)

"Hey Hinata! Give me a hand?" Called out a manly voice with a slight snicker at the end.

"Really? The same joke?" She asked, half in disgust, the other with a happy smile.

"You can't think of anything else other than that?"

"What? It's a good joke." He insisted.

"A year ago, yes, it was funny but now it's just old."

"Not old… a classic."

* * *

It had been three years since Naruto came out of his coma. His eyes opened to the world the morning after Hinata woke and much to her relief, he greeted her with a smile. When she saw his face gain the luster of his usual self, she just couldn't help herself and cried in his arms… well… _arms_ may not be the right way to put it…

* * *

"Naruto, you're going to be late." Hinata scolded while fastening a strip of Velcro to his arm. He stood up and held the stiff object in the air.

"Hey, you think I could get one of these with the thumb held up… It would be much cooler." Hinata snorted and shook her head.

"No Naruto-kun, you're not getting one like that."

"So that's a definite no to the one with the middle finger then?" This time a very light slap accompanied the scolding.

"Most definitely not, Naruto-kun."

* * *

Right after he woke up from his coma, and the tubes were pulled from his body, he was holding Hinata gently in his arm after their silent reunion. He looked down at her with a grin before making his voice be heard for the first time in 3 years.

"Who are you?" He asked. Hinata's face started tearing up and she missed the sudden laughter coming from his lips.

"Don't cry Hinata." He begged. "It was a bad joke, I'm sorry." She looked at him through her tears and slapped his face; hard, and I mean really hard. He was shocked at the reaction, but understood when she snuggled into his neck and wet his face with her tears.

"Don't scare me like that. It's bad enough that you lost an arm." She felt bad at his loss, but strangely he didn't really seem to care. He figured he could create clones or even use chakra to create an arm. At that moment he was just glad to be alive with _his_ Hinata.

"You know…" He started again with another mischievous grin on his face. "You're going to have to do more work now." She looked up at him puzzled by what he was getting at.

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm missing… My jack arm."

"Wha? I don't get it." Naruto just laughed at her innocence, which was one thing he loved the most about her.

"Just a joke… A bad one at that." He snickered once more and held his mate tightly with his remaining arm.

"Hey, Hinata… do you want to hear something that isn't a joke?" She looked at him with tired eyes and nodded.

"No jokes?" She asked for reassurance. He smiled and positioned himself closer to her and started in a soft voice.

"I will always love you, my beautiful Hinata." She lightly giggled as he kissed her.

"Promise?" She asked knowingly. Savoring the long awaited kiss.

"Definitely… I promise." She smiled with a sexy look on her face.

"Good." She giggled and felt warm and secure in his lap, falling quickly asleep

* * *

"So are you ready for this?" Hinata asked while leading him down a sparsely populated road.

"You know the answer to that right Hinata?"

"Sure do… You 've been saying it for years 'I'll be the next Hokage!'" She repeated in her best impression of his voice. Naruto, of course, chuckled at her antics.

"Yeah, but really only you thought I could do it back then." She smiled and pulled open a door into a large room where a large group of friendly faces met his eyes.

"That was then… And all these people accept you now… Go on, this can't proceed without you." He smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss before running to the front of the room where all his friends were gathered. The sand siblings, including the Kazekage Gaara, all those konohaninja from the chuunin exams, and even all the jonin sensei were gathered, not to mention the old lecherous sensei Jiraiya.

Tsunade had a soft look in her eyes as she held up the ceremonial Hokage hat to the blonde. He took one last look around the room to make sure he wasn't dreaming and caught a glimpse of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime give a reassuring nod to him. His smile couldn't get any wider and he quietly thanked any heavenly beings for a life which turned out to be perfect.

"Congratulations on becoming the first Hokage Hanyou." Tsunade remarked and handed the hat to him.

"And most likely not the last…" He commented while nodding towards his wife… it would seem as though there would be a new generation of kitsune hanyou…

* * *

And so that is how it was… The boy who was once cursed with the kyuubi being sealed inside of him became Hokage by embracing it with the help of those he met along the way, including a masterfully created sword which has no limits and can see everything.

Oh, who am I? You ask. Well didn't I tell you that at the beginning? I am the one who can see it all…. Oh, my name? I have been known as many names by each of the worlds I look into. Some call me Kami, others Inari, once I was even the death god, but my favorite name of them all is what they referred to me as in this story… ShapeShifter – the Last Muramasa… Nice ring, don't you think? Now where did I put that bear plushie…

* * *

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the crazy ride. I've gotten a few suggestions for a proper title, so now that it is over... anymore suggestions?

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas or whatever other holiday you celebrate this time of year. Hope I see you all again next year; if not...

…Later


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